Tales of Harmonia
by AisuFox
Summary: It’s been two years since the final battle with Mithos and peace has been restored to Symphonia… or has it? The team must reunite to destroy the new threat or else Symphonia will cease to exist. Contains spoilers. [Updated Fridays]
1. Reunion

**Tales of Harmonia   
-Aisu Fox- **

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Hi there! This is my first fanfic I've submitted! Well, it's not the first I've written, but that's not important. XD; Everybody's costumes are slightly altered in this fic, but if you want to get a clear visual of their costumes, I'll be eventually drawing and putting them up on my Deviantart gallery (You can find it on my profile), but be patient since I've been busy with finals and stuff.

This is going to be a large fic seeing as it's like a sequel, but I've already done 11 chapters. I'm currently working on chapter 12 and have many ideas for the future chapters so hopefully I won't stop till it's finished. I want to get it done, even if it takes me years!

Hope you all enjoy! Please feel free to leave a review if it's not too much trouble!

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Chapter 1: Reunion

"Raine, are you done yet?"

"Genis! Have you no passion for these ancient ruins?"

"Not really- OW!"

The silver-haired boy, Genis, rubbed the back of his head where his sister, Raine, had just clubbed him. He sighed as he went back to watching Raine all but drool over some ancient scriptures. They were currently on their way back to Iselia but got sidetracked along the way by a peculiar looking cave. Raine had immediately dashed in while Genis only followed just to make sure she didn't hurt herself or stay too long.

"Genis, hold my staff in front of this stone tablet!" Raine commanded shoving her staff, which was steadily illuminating the cave, roughly into Genis' hands. "I must inspect the ancient characters. They're simply MARVELOUS!"

Genis groaned and unwillingly held the staff upright. At this rate, they would never make it to Iselia and see the others again.

"Raine, we got to get to Iselia." Genis whined reminding her.

"I know! I know! I'll be done in five minutes!" Raine waved her hand reassuringly, not even glancing at him.

_"More like five hours…"_ Genis thought to himself since he knew better than to say that out loud around his sister.

It was then that something caught the young half elf's attention in the dark corner of the cave. He grounded the staff end into the earth so that it would stand on its own before investigating, Raine not even noticing. Genis dusted off some pebbles and rocks that covered a small chest. It had an intricate design to it full of many colors and gold lining and had a broken brass lock. Slowly, he lifted the lid to find a tied roll of paper. Genis untied and unrolled it showing it was a map of the world, but part of it was ripped off. All he could really make out in the dark were the words in bold: "ELEMENTAL CRESTS".

"Genis! Where are you?" He heard Raine call.

"I'm over here! I thought I saw something!" Genis called back pocketing the torn map to look at later.

Now came the hard part, leaving.

**- X -**

In Iselia, people were bustling around with decorations, lanterns, and even making stands. Inside the stands were various toys and prizes that little children could win. Every street had a special statue or ornament that was hand crafted by the villagers or outsiders and even wreaths of flowers and paper lanterns.

"Lloyd! Can I have a special necklace too?" A small child asked a tall boy wearing red.

The young man, Lloyd, who looked to be around nineteen, had wild brown hair that slightly covered his left eye which like the right one was reddish-brown. He wore red light armor with black trim, which had short shoulder pads and had long white scarves trailing off its high collar. He also wore blue pants supported by two leather belts, red heavy boots, and black gauntlets with red trim. Lloyd addressed the small girl.

"I don't have them right now, Keiko. I'll be sure to give you one at festival though, okay?" He smiled warmly and patted the girl on the head.

She smiled brightly saying a quick, "Thank you!" before running off to play.

Lloyd went back to lazing on the crates he was laying on, watching the people rush around preparing for the special event that was occurring tomorrow. His eyes started to feel heavy and they slowly started to drift closed.

"Here you are, Lloyd! I was looking all over for you." A familiar voice rang him out of his nap as he lazily cracked open one eye.

He was faced with a girl with crystal blue eyes and dazzling golden hair that framed her face. Lloyd sat up to actually acknowledge her. She wore a plain white dress with violet trim, a golden neckband, black pants and cute white boots. She also had an intricate golden mount on her chest with a red diamond shaped jewel centered on it.

"Hey Colette, what're you doing out here?" Lloyd asked.

"I came looking for you. I… just wanted to talk." Colette said and sat down on a crate beside Lloyd. "I can't wait to see everyone again!"

Lloyd grinned. "I know what you mean. It's been two years since we've seen all them! I was really excited to hear that they were coming for the festival."

Colette nodded in agreement before gazing at the construction going on. "Everybody's working so hard to make the festival a great one."

"Yeah…" Lloyd gave a wide yawn but Colette didn't notice.

"You and Dirk carved most of those statues and you're making those necklaces for all the children."

Lloyd's eyes started to droop again. He had been pulling all-nighters trying to finish the necklaces.

"I wish I could help out in some way." Colette glanced at Lloyd only to see that he had fallen asleep. "Lloyd?"

"I'll wake him up." Colette looked to her left and smiled brightly at the two standing there before moving away from Lloyd.

The younger of the two wove his fingers in a graceful manner before a large amount of water fell on Lloyd out of nowhere. Lloyd in response spluttered and shook the water from his body like a dog. He then dragged the long hair out of his eyes so he could see who had rudely awoken him. He seemed confused for a second staring at the white-haired boy Colette was currently hugging. His white hair had a bunch of strands being held back by a silver hair brace, which held it out of his blue eyes. He wore a white short-sleeved cloak that had light blue trim and circular patterns all over it and had gold buckles holding it at chest level. He also wore a black and white shirt and shorts, a black sash around his waist, black wristbands and those familiar shoes. The main thing that shocked Lloyd was that he was as tall as Colette was! Then it dawned on Lloyd.

"Genis!" He laughed and approached his best friend. "I see you're still as childish as ever."

"Some more than others." Genis countered slyly.

"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?" The red clad boy scowled. "Just as I thought, exactly the same."

"Lloyd, I hope you've been studying while I've been away." Lloyd looked up and immediately recognized the other.

"Professor Sage! You know I can't remember a thing when you're not around." He smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

Raine hadn't changed too much. Besides the minor adjustments to her old attire, the only real thing that had changed was her hair, which had grown longer and curved towards her chest.

"That's too bad because I was planning on testing you anyway." Raine said poking him in the forehead playfully.

Lloyd groaned. "I was hoping our first guests wouldn't have been so dull."

That earned Lloyd a simultaneous smack from both the Professor and Genis, which made Colette giggle.

"Wait, did you say we were the first ones here?" Genis asked.

"Yep. You're first." Colette chirped.

"Wow, I thought we would've been last with all those stops we made in random caves and artifact ruins- OW!" Genis yelped as Raine delivered a smack to his head as well.

"I see the Professor is just as abusive as ever…" Lloyd muttered. "And apparently it now runs in the family."

"Maybe if you'd watch your tongue once in a while, I wouldn't have to be." Raine huffed, crossing her arms.

"Now that's the Super Cool Beauty I fell in love with!" That voice caused Raine and Genis to cringe but Lloyd and Colette looked up excitedly.

"Hi Zelos!" Colette greeted.

"Why, hello there my cute little angel, Colette." Zelos chirped flirtatiously.

Zelos still had that cocky smirk of his. He pushed aside a strand of his long red hair that had escaped from his white headband. He wore the same sleeveless jacket except it was now white with gold trim with stray traces of pink on the straps here and there. Like his jacket, his gloves were now black and white with gold trim and pink straps. Zelos also wore a black sleeveless turtleneck, a white belt and sheath with blue trim and tassels, light gray pants and his same boots. Lastly, he still had his Cruxis Crystal mounted on his chest like Colette.

"Zelos! Great to see you! What have you been up to lately?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, you're looking at Meltokio's newly respected palace knight!" Zelos announced thrusting a thumb towards his chest. "Once you get that kind of status, then all the hunnies just start climbing all over you." He then grinned at Colette and Raine. "But I still have my favorite Cool Beauty and Little Angel to love."

"Honestly, Zelos. Can't you say my actual name just ONCE?" Raine sighed.

"What's that my Ultra Cool Beauty?" Zelos chirped.

"It's Raine. Raaaaaine…" The Professor stressed her name slowly, while putting her hands on her hips.

"Huuuuunnieeeeeeee…" Zelos stressed in an equal tone.

"I see you haven't changed…" Genis muttered.

Zelos looked down at the young half elf. "Hey brat. I see you hit your growth-spurt finally. Listen, once you hit puberty, then I'll give you some helpful advice." He smirked and ruffled Genis' silver locks.

Genis went red from embarrassment and pure rage as he strongly resisted the urge to light the pervert's rear on fire. He didn't have to resist for long though because Raine had already delivered a hard punch to Zelos' head.

"Poor Zelos, he's just trying to lend advice to Genis." Colette said obliviously.

"Trust me Colette, it's not the kind of advice he'd want to get." A female's voice sighed.

They all looked up. The woman had her raven hair tied back by a pink ribbon bow and wore a violet version of her successor uniform.

"It's Sheena!" Lloyd announced.

"My beloved, voluptuous hunny!" Zelos added.

"Chance of another wailing, 100 percent." A girl's monotone voice reported.

"And Presea!" Genis laughed.

Like Raine, Presea hadn't changed too much. Her long pink hair was now in ponytails running down her back and she wore a black version of Zelos' jacket with gold buckles except it ended a bit above her waist. The rest was the same. Like predicted, Sheena drove her fist into poor Zelos' face causing everyone to laugh.

"Now all that's left is to wait for Regal to arrive and we'll all be together again!" Colette said cheerfully.

Presea frowned. "I regret to inform that Regal will not be accompanying us."

"Huh? Why not?" Lloyd asked a little disappointed.

"He told me that he had too much work to do at the Lezerano Company. But he will come at some point when he is less busy." Presea explained.

"Well that's too bad." Sheena said folding her arms. "I was looking forward to seeing the big guy again."

Colette's gaze went to the ground. "There's not much we can do I guess. How about we all go over to my house and you can tell us about what you've been doing all this time."

"That sounds good to me. Let's go!" Lloyd said before noticing Raine staring at him. "What's wrong, Professor?"

Raine jumped slightly when she realized Lloyd had said her name. "Um, it's nothing. I was just… you look so much more like him."

Lloyd blinked. "Like who?"

"Your father, Kratos."

Lloyd's eyes widened slightly before he suddenly grew very interested in his boots. "I guess so."

"You miss him, don't you?"

"Sometimes…" Lloyd shook his head. "But enough about him. Let's hurry and catch up to the others."

Raine smiled. "Okay then."

**- X -**

"Everyone, please make yourselves at home." Colette said.

Everyone gathered in Colette's living room, finding specific places to sit. Colette, Genis and Presea took the only couch and Raine and Zelos took the two lounge chairs so Sheena and Lloyd ended up standing. Anything was better to Sheena than taking Zelos' offer to sit on his lap and Lloyd didn't mind leaning on the wall.

"So Sheena, how is Mizuho doing since you became their new leader?" Lloyd asked.

"Everyone's doing well. We've finally relocated Mizuho to a new secret location." Sheena said.

"Oh? And where would that be? Maybe Colette and I could stop by sometime while we're journeying to find all the exspheres."

Sheena wagged a finger in front of his face. "I said it was a secret location, didn't I? Besides, I can't tell you with Zelos around."

"Don't bother, I already know where you relocated." Zelos pointed out as-a-matter-of-factly.

Sheena gaped. "But… how? I never saw you follow me and I haven't told anyone!"

"Being a respected knight has its benefits. I was rummaging through the king's papers some time ago and came across it. Didn't you wonder who was peeking at you in the shower?" Zelos grinned.

Sheena, blushing furiously, gave him a painful smack on the face. "You stupid Chosen! And here I thought someone in the village had become a big pervert!"

Raine sighed. "That brings me to the question of why you admit that it was in fact YOU doing it?"

Genis chuckled and leaned back on the couch to get more comfortable. "That is a good question, Zelos. By the way Lloyd, you mentioned your journey collecting the exspheres, how's that going?"

"Oh yeah." Lloyd perked up. "So far we've covered quite a few villages, yet some morons keep trying to abuse the powers of the exspheres." He clenched his fist. "It really pisses me off when they think they can beat Colette and I so we give them a good beating to think about."

"So where do you have left to collect exspheres?" Presea asked.

Colette scratched her head in thought. "I believe we've covered the whole original Sylvarant area… so that leaves most of Tethe'alla. Our main objective is the bridge."

"Ah yes, the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge." Zelos rubbed his chin. "I'll see to the king about that since I'm such a nice guy and all."

"Thanks Zelos!" Colette beamed.

"Anything for my Little Angel." He winked.

"That reminds me." Raine said and pulled out a pouch that had been concealed behind her robes. "In this bag is more than thirty exspheres."

"Whoa!" Lloyd exclaimed. "How did you find so many exspheres?"

Genis' eyes grew sullen. "A lot of the guards attacked us when they found out we were half elves going into Sybak. We fought them and found out the exspheres were corrupting their minds somehow."

"Once we removed the exspheres, they turned back to normal as if nothing had even happened." Raine finished.

Lloyd frowned and dug out one of the exspheres from the bag. "They look normal to me. Maybe they went delirious with power?"

Raine curled her finger over her top lip in thought. "It seems like the best answer, but there's no logical explanation for it."

The room went silent.

"Besides that experience, how's your journey been going?" Sheena cut the tension in the room.

The young half elf lightened up a bit. "It's been going alright I guess. No one said changing people's opinions was going to be easy…" He turned to the pink haired girl beside him. "We saw you on the outskirts of Ozette once, Presea." He said changing the subject. "What were you doing there?"

Presea noticed his abruptness with a little bit of surprise. She was about to say something but caught the look Raine was giving her that said clearly to just ignore it. So she did.

"I am rebuilding Ozette." This came as a shock to most. "With Regal's help, I am planning to rebuild Ozette exactly as it was before to preserve the memory. The memory… of my lost time… and maybe the people will return as well." Presea muttered.

Zelos, feeling quite uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere, let out a bellow. "What's with all the long faces? It's the time of the Harmonia Festival! Peace, love, happiness and all that jazz."

Lloyd grinned. "You're right Zelos! We shouldn't be moping around; we should be celebrating being back together again. One big happy family!"

Sheena laughed. "I guess you could put it that way."

"Come on, Genis, cheer up. This is so not like you." Lloyd said ruffling up the young sorcerer's hair with his hand.

A grin appeared on Genis' face. "Alright then."

"What shall we do for the time being?" Presea asked.

"I guess we could go to my place." Lloyd said sheepishly. "I must admit, I haven't quite finished the necklaces I was supposed to make."

"Won't Dirk be mad?" Colette asked.

Lloyd smiled widely. "What he doesn't know can't hurt me!"

Everyone in the room sweat dropped and Raine smacked Lloyd on the head. "That is very irresponsible of you, Lloyd! What have you been learning from all my classes?"

"Art, PE and sleeping standing up."

This time, everyone face faulted.

"Forget it and let's go already! They need to be done by tomorrow." Lloyd announced causing everyone to groan.

**- X -**

It only took an hour to get to Dirk's house, and after some friendly greetings and poundings on the head for not doing his work when he was suppose to, everyone got straight to work. They all got ten already molded pieces of metal with a different colored jewel on it.

"All ya need ta do is carve a unique design on each. There be lots of children comin' to the festival, so I'll be making more necklaces for you all ta design." Dirk explained, with his thick Irish accent, before returning to one of his kilns.

"This'll be fun!" Colette beamed and started to carve a wavy design. "I know what I'll do!"

"I know exactly what I'm going to do too." Zelos said, but before his carving needle could reach the metal…

"No explicit pictures, Zelos! They're for children!" Sheena shouted.

"Come on! They need to learn about this stuff sometime." He whined.

SMACK!

"Hey Lloyd, what were you going to do with yours?" Genis asked watching Lloyd carefully scratch in different letters.

"Same thing I was doing with quite a few others, writing some Dwarven Vows. They're good to follow." Lloyd said as he showed Genis what he had written.

Genis read out loud, "'Dwarven Vow Number 26: Nothing is impossible. Even the word says I'm possible.' Wow, I've never heard that one before."

Lloyd nodded. "It's one of my favorites actually."

A sly grin crossed Genis' face. "Hey, are you going to include Number 7?"

"Are you serious? I hate that one!" Lloyd fumed.

"Oh? Then what's this one?" Genis asked innocently holding out a necklace that clearly said: 'Dwarven Vow Number 7: Goodness and love will always win'.

The Eternal Swordsman spluttered before snatching the necklace. "Er… Dad made me do it!"

"Sure…" Genis said stressing the word for added sarcasm.

"Fine then, smart guy, what are you doing?"

"I was planning on writing a little bit of Elvish with a small translation."

"Will there even be enough room?"

"Don't worry, Elvish is very compact."

"Com… pact?"

Genis sighed. "Shall I use small words? It means it won't take up much room, Lloyd."

"Ooh…"

"Moron…"

"I HEARD THAT!"

**- X -**

The day eventually drew to an end and everyone went to bed. The girls in Lloyd's room while the men kindly slept on the floor downstairs. Everyone was asleep, except for the red clad boy sitting on the balcony. A familiar green and silver furred friend caught his eye and he jumped down to greet the dog-like creature inside its stall.

"Hey Noishe. You couldn't sleep either?" Lloyd asked as he scratched the horse-sized creature's head.

Noishe gave a soft whine, quite content with Lloyd scratching behind his ear. Noishe had grown slightly larger and stronger and now had a purple handkerchief tied around his neck.

"The Harmonia Festival is tomorrow, but I just don't feel happy, even with everyone here. I wonder why?" Lloyd muttered, knowing that Noishe could fully understand him.

Noishe whined again and patted his pink paw on the stall door.

"No, Noishe! You can't come out until morning and you know it!" Lloyd protested against the protozoan.

"Whine!"

"No! Bad Noishe!"

"Grr…"

"No!"

"Bark!"

"No don't wake everyone up!"

"BARK!"

"Fine, fine. Geez Noishe, I'll let you out. Just go back in your stall after."

"Whine…"

Noishe padded out of the stall as soon as Lloyd opened the door and looked back at the eternal swordsman expectantly.

"What? You want to show me something?" Lloyd asked and followed Noishe around the house.

Lloyd smiled when he realized where the protozoan was leading him. They were standing in front of Lloyd's mother's grave which had the red sword, Flamberge, laid in front.

"Yeah… that's what it is. I miss my family…" Lloyd said wiping away the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "I miss Kratos… Dad…"

Noishe licked the young adult's face trying to cheer him up. Lloyd chuckled, scratching Noishe's head again, before looking up to the stars. They had always cheered him up when he was little. He then noticed a particularly bright star among the mess of them.

_"I never noticed that star before."_ Lloyd thought to himself.

Little did Lloyd or anyone else know, that 'star' was very slowly getting bigger in the sky.


	2. Harmonia Festival

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Wow! Thank you so much everyone for their feedback! I didn't think I'd get so many reviews in one chapter. All ofthem are greatly appreciated! This chapter took me a while to upload because I'm trying to get my friend to help me beta it but she's been busy with finals and stuff like me. Just note that this chapter was NOT beta-ed but quickly reread and slightly editted by myself. By the way, after chapter 4, these chapters will be much longer.

As I promised, I will be drawing everyone's costumes because they have been changed a bit. I've drawn but have not finished Lloyd, Zelos, Genis and Raine. Lloyd will look a bit different than how I described him in the fic because the original idea didn't work out when I drew it.

I'll have more to say at the end of the chapter. Till then, enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Harmonia Festival

Dirk was awake at the crack of dawn, preparing breakfast and working on some last minute projects for the festival. His current project was finishing a carving of his adopted son, the Eternal Swordsman, and the savior of the world. The statue of Lloyd was hard wood, with each and every detail scratched in, and holding the Eternal Sword to the heavens. There were other statues similar to that one except they were of each of Lloyd's companions, holding their weapons in unique poses.

"You're quite the artist, Dirk." Dirk looked back to see Sheena coming down the stairs fully clothed.

"Thankyee, Lass." Dirk thanked as he used a needle tool to continue carving in the Lloyd statue's determined expression.

"Do I really have boobs this big?" Sheena chuckled embarrassedly at the exaggeratedly large bust on the statue of herself.

The dwarf grinned. "T'was a request by a certain redhead."

Sheena glared at that certain redhead that was sleeping soundly on the floor by Lloyd and Genis. The strange thing was that Zelos' hand was in a bowl of water and there was also a slightly damp spot on mid-area of Zelos' blanket. Sheena couldn't help but stifle her laughing fit.

"Don't yee worry, Lass. I'll fix up your statue before the festival." Dirk added.

"Thank you." Sheena said in between giggles.

Around that moment, both Lloyd and Genis began to stir. Once fully awake, they both looked at Zelos and cracked up giving high-fives to each other.

"Mission accomplished!" Genis announced.

"Operation: Bed-wetter a complete success." Lloyd added proudly.

"Boys…" Sheena snickered.

Their laughing had caused Zelos to stir so Genis quickly took away the bowl of water before redhead noticed.

"Huh… Wha?" Zelos looked down at his blanket. "Wow, I haven't done that since I was five." He then looked up to see Lloyd, Genis, Sheena and Dirk staring at him with wide smiles on their faces. "GAH!"

Lloyd, Genis and Sheena began to crack up again while Dirk had to put aside the Lloyd statue so that he didn't make any mistakes while he chuckled. The rest of the ladies came down the stairs because of all the commotion. Each of then in their nightgowns and looking quite ruffled.

"What's so funny that you have to wake us all up with your loud laughter?" Raine snapped clearly grouchy from the rude awakening.

"N-nothing my Cool Beauty! Go back to sleep." Zelos said flustered as he crumpled his blanket into a ball to stop the stain from showing.

"If it's so funny, then I deserve to know!" Raine growled.

Lloyd decided to cut Zelos some slack. "It's okay, Professor. It was you-had-to-be-there kind of joke."

Raine scowled a little longer before she went back up stairs muttering something like might as well get ready. The other two girls went back up too with confused looks on their faces.

Zelos let out a sigh of relief before hugging Lloyd. "Thanks, Bud! You're such a swell guy pulling me out of the gutter like that!"

"… Don't call me Bud."

"Breakfast is ready!" Dirk announced as he finished stirring stew in a pot.

Pretty quickly, the girls came downstairs fully dressed and everyone gathered around the table. "What's for breakfast, Dad?" Lloyd asked.

"It's me specialty! Dwarven Pot-Luck Surprise!" Dirk said causing the Tethe'alla half of the group and Raine to look confused, Genis to cringe slightly and Lloyd and Colette to cheer.

"Oh boy!" Colette beamed.

"Alright! We haven't had that in so long!" Lloyd said excitedly.

"Dwarven Pot-Luck Surprise?" Presea asked as Dirk put some of his stew in her bowl.

"You've never had it?" Lloyd was flabbergasted.

"I don't think you would like it." Genis whispered in Presea's ear.

"It's incredible! Dirk makes the room pitch dark and then throws all sorts of things into a beef stew and stews it up!" Colette explained.

"Beef stew for breakfast..?" Raine thought out loud.

"Then after, you show everyone what you got in your bowl of stew!" Lloyd said ignoring Raine's comment. "Last time he made it, I had some metal ore and stuff." He added.

"I had a boot!" Colette said.

After that explanation, everyone was feeling a little less hungry. Dirk had finished giving everyone some Dwarven Pot-Luck Surprise then sat down.

"Now ya can tell what ya got in yer stew." Dirk explained.

"I got one of Noishe's chew toys!" Lloyd said squeaking the rubber frog by squeezing it causing some stew to squirt out of it.

"I got another boot!" Colette cheered, as the said boot was quite obvious to see since only the heel was submerged in the stew.

"I… got a knife… and some nails…" Genis twitched while carefully removing the knife and nails from the stew with his spoon.

"I got a block of wood…" Raine said as she held up the said object.

"I got a small hammer." Sheena said and picked up the hammer.

"Whoops! I was wonderen' where I put that." Dirk laughed and took the hammer from Sheena.

"I think I got toilet paper… or what was left of it…" Zelos cringed as he spooned out the sopping wet roll of thin paper.

"I got a spoon." Presea said.

"Silly Presea!" Colette giggled. "The spoon was already in the bowl when you got the stew."

"Oh." Presea stirred her stew and lifted the spoon. "Then I got stew. Fifty percent water, forty percent beef, five percent spices, five percent unknown…" She continued to list the different components of the stew monotonously.

"Presea must've not got anything." Lloyd said disappointedly.

"You can have some of my toilet paper if you want…" Zelos offered but one look from Presea instantly made him think otherwise.

"I feel threatened by my stew…" Genis muttered as he scooped out more nails.

"Now that we've all shared our surprises, let's eat!" Dirk suggested.

Lloyd, Colette and Dirk immediately dug in while the rest were hesitant.

"I… think I'm going to go enjoy this outside." Genis kindly excused himself picked up his bowl and went out the door.

"I'll come and make sure you're safe!" Raine called after excusing herself as well taking her stew with her.

"I think I need to use the bathroom. But this looks so good that I'll eat in there!" Zelos announced and took his stew into the bathroom, locking the door.

"I think I'll enjoy this out on the balcony. Will you be joining me Presea?" Sheena asked and paused.

Much to her surprise and disgust, Presea was eating the stew!

"You're a very good cook, Dirk." Presea said.

"Thankyee much, Lass." Dirk thanked.

Curiosity piqued, Sheena decided to take a taste of her stew. One spoonful in her mouth and she decided she still wanted to go out on the balcony to 'enjoy' her food.

"I wonder why they all left?" Lloyd thought out loud, stew slopped all around his mouth. "I'll go out and see if there's anything wrong with Genis and the Professor."

"I'll go see if there's anything wrong with Sheena." Colette volunteered.

Lloyd excused himself, wiping his mouth on his napkin, and went outside to see Genis holding his bowl out to Noishe who was licking his bowl clean and Raine behind him.

"Genis? Is something wrong?" Lloyd asked.

Genis gasped and panicked when he saw Lloyd approaching and pulled his bowl away from Noishe. "Bad Noishe! You ate all my stew!"

"What? He did? Bad Noishe! How many times have I told you not to steal other people's food?" Lloyd scolded the protozoan.

Noishe growled at Genis. "No Noishe! You already ate all our food! Raine's too!"

"Yeah, bad Noishe! As your punishment, you don't get to go to the festival tonight!" Lloyd shouted.

Noishe slicked back his ears with a sad whine. Raine felt sympathetic for the poor protozoan.

"Lloyd, the festival occurs only once every fifty years. Surly you're being a bit harsh." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Then your new punishment, Noishe, is no treats today!" Lloyd declared.

Noishe was a little relieved but when Lloyd turned around, he growled at Genis again.

"Don't worry, I'll get your snacks…" Genis whispered.

"Whine." Noishe whined a little happier.

Once they all entered the house again, they saw Sheena and Colette coming down the stairs.

"So… you got distracted by a bird and tripped and your stew fell over the balcony?" Colette replayed to make sure she understood.

"Yeah. It was a really pretty bird and I was clumsy and tripped. It was so good, and I was so sad when it fell." Sheena sighed trying to force her disappointment since she actually just threw the stew over the railing.

Zelos came out of the bathroom with his empty bowl making exaggerated sounds of relief. "Phew! I went a lot! Man, and that stew was just what I needed to preoccupy myself. It was so good!" He was obviously faking it like the other three and had just flushed the stew down the toilet. "The only problem was there was no toilet paper in there."

"I liked it too." Presea said as she finished the last of her bowl much to the liars' surprise. "Thank you, Dirk."

"Yer welcome, Lass. Would anyone like seconds?" Dirk asked.

"NO!"

**- X - ****  
**

A while later, after the boys had gotten ready for the day, the heroes of Symphonia left Dirk's home and traveled to Iselia holding various statues, charms and accessories that were going to be handed out or sold to the people. They all helped out in the last minute finishing touches to the village and set up their own little stands to sell things. Lloyd and Colette were going to hand out the necklaces together and sell some of Dirk's statues, Presea was going to sell some of her charms next to theirs and Genis volunteered to help her, and Sheena insisted that she would like to sell her special Mizuhoan products alone WITHOUT Zelos' 'help', but gladly accepted Raine's help.

"But wait, what is little ol' me supposed to do all alone?" Zelos protested.

"Do what you usually do." Lloyd sighed.

"Go flirt with a bunch of 'hunnies' like you usually do." Sheena suggested bluntly while making quotations with her fingers when she said hunnies.

"We'll be done in a while, Zelos." Colette assured. "Then we'll all have fun with you together!"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, my Little Angel!" Zelos praised. "The Great Zelos shall do just that! So till then, ta ta!"

Zelos marched off and found a young woman right away. After a small exchange of words, her bag smashed into Zelos' face.

"Do you think he'll be alright on his own?" Genis asked with no concern what so ever as he arranged some carvings of bears with salmon in their mouths.

"Chances of Zelos getting into trouble: ninety-nine point nine percent." Presea stated mechanically while putting finishing touches on her wooden tag charms.

**- X - ****  
**

Nightfall had come and the swarms of humans, elves, half elves and more were flowing into the village for the festival. Now that it was dark, all the lights and lanterns had been lit and were twinkling along roads and on lines in the air. The concessions were booming with people trying to win some prizes with their skills. Other places were stalls selling all sorts of neat handmade figurines like the ones our heroes were selling. Dirk was on the edge of the village giving pony rides on Noishe for little kids, which was an extremely popular attraction, and Noishe seemed to love it. There was even a Katz Theater going on doing a comedic spoof of the World Regeneration. Food stands, coming attractions, rides, you name it, and it was there.

"Mommy! I want that doggy plushie!" A little girl pointed at a regular-sized plush of a dog in one of the concessions.

"I'm not very good at those ring toss games, darling." The mother said.

"But I want it…" The girl whined and looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"Don't worry, the Great Zelos Wilder will win it for you!" Zelos declared to the little girl and stepped up to the stand.

"Thirty Gald for three rings to play son! Try your luck and see if you're a winner!" The stand owner explained merrily.

Zelos smirked and dropped his cash on the table. "This'll be simple."

He started spinning a ring around his index finger studying the shot carefully; his display of determination had attracted the attention of many of the folks. With a flick of his wrist, the ring left his finger and then he snatched it and immediately swung it to a random point of the stall followed by the other two rings. The owner yelped and ducked for cover as the rings bounced erratically around the stall, off of the prizes, the ceiling and everywhere else. One of the rings eventually landed on the peg followed by another. The last one landed on its side spinning on top of the peg, everyone except Zelos was holding their breath in anticipation. The ring stopped spinning and landed right through the peg. There was a stunned silence and the owner popped up from his hiding place.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!" The owner announced and everyone around started applauding and clapping.

"Thank you! Thank you! The Great Zelos appreciates it! No autographs, please!" Zelos bowed and picked up the plush dog he had won and walked over to the beaming little girl. "Here's your prize my Little Hunny."

"Wow! Thank you, Mister! You're so cool!" She squealed and hugged the plush dog.

"Yes, thank you very much." The mother bowed in respect.

"All in a days work, my Lovely Lady." He flirted.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Another concession owner shouted which caused a bunch of teenage girls to screech in delight.

Zelos looked at the man around his age handing out the pile of prizes to all the beautiful young women around him. The man was quite the stud with a young flawless face, gorgeous flowing blonde hair and a muscular body that the women were hanging off of.

"Damien is the best!" All the women cooed then they all started chanting his name.

Zelos scowled.

"This means war…"

**- X -**

"What's this, Sheena?" Raine asked pointing at a small blue hoop with thread wrapped around the opening and was decorated with beads and feathers.

Sheena looked up from her customer to see what Raine was pointing at. "Oh! Those are really popular in Mizuho. They're called dream catchers. You hang them over your bed and they filter out the bad dreams and give you the good dreams." She explained.

"Fascinating…" The Professor's eyes lit up.

"Those are pretty neat. I'd like to get one of those as well for my daughter." The customer said.

"An excellent choice, sir. That'll be two-hundred Gald total." Sheena chirped and received the money from the man.

With Genis and Presea…

"You hang this on your door and it'll make you rich." Presea explained to the customer what the bear with the salmon in its mouth was for.

"I'm not sure I believe that, but it's so cute that I'll try it anyway." The elderly woman said and dug through her little purse for money.

"That'll be one-hundred Gald." Presea said.

The woman was about to give her Gald when something caught her eye. "Oh, what are these little tags here?"

Presea turned to her partner. "Genis, would you like to explain?"

Genis' face went red when she called his name. "Uh, sure!" He picked up one of the wooden tags. "They're wishing tags. You make a wish, snap them in half then throw them into a river and your wish will come true. Presea designed them herself."

"You're quite the little artist, Miss. I'll take one of these too." She said.

"Thank you." Presea bowed. "Your total is one-hundred fifty Gald." She added and once the lady had paid and walked off, she turned to Genis. "Are you alright, Genis? Your face is very flushed."

The ax woman put her hand to the sorcerer's forehead, which caused him to blush even harder. "I-I'm fine… You want to c-close for a while and s-see the K-Katz p-play?" He stuttered.

"Okay." Presea agreed, oblivious to Genis' nervousness.

Once her back was turned to put away, Genis all but melted into a pile of goo.

With Lloyd and Colette…

"Geez… you might as well put a sign on us that says: 'Get a picture with the Chosen and Eternal Swordsman'." Lloyd sighed as the couple with the camera left.

"Well, they've probably never have met us in person before and got excited." Colette guessed.

"Probably…" Lloyd said and gave a necklace to a little boy who had asked for one. "Well, we did sell most of Dad's sculptures and these necklaces are almost all gone. Maybe we should gather the others and go enjoy ourselves for a while?"

"And we can take the necklaces with us for those who didn't get one!" Colette added cheerfully.

"Sure." He knelt over the front desk to get a look at the Mizuho display. "Hey Sheena! How about we ditch this place for a while and go have some fun?"

Sheena's head appeared. "Sounds good! Raine said Genis and Presea already left to see the Katz play! Maybe we can find that stupid Chosen as well!"

"Okay!" Lloyd disappeared back into the stall and faced Colette. "Let's pack everything up."

"Okay."

**- X -**

"Hey."

The blonde man turned to face the redhead standing before him, arms crossed. "What do you want, kid?"

"The name's Wilder, Zelos Wilder. I here you're quite the stud muffin in these parts." Zelos stated bluntly.

He smirked. "My name's Damien. I repeat, what do you want, kid?"

Zelos pointed a finger at him. "I challenge you, pretty boy. You're stealing all my hunnies and I don't like that."

"Heh, what are you going to do with all these people around?" Damien asked smugly.

"Fist-fighting in a festival full of people just isn't my style. I challenge you to THAT game." Zelos redirected his finger to point at the bottle-knocking game. "Three rounds, you chicken?"

"Nah, you're just in for a lickin'!" Damien mocked and they both approached the concession, the women squealing Damien's name for encouragement.

"Fifty Gald for three balls…" The owner yawned at the desk.

Both smashed their money onto the table and received their balls. The game was simple; just knock the thirteen bottles, stacked in a pyramid shape, off the stool. The first two rounds went by in a breeze, both winning one a piece. Damien swung his ball at the bottles dead on, knocking all but one off the table.

"Hah! Beat that, kid!" Damien laughed in Zelos' face.

Zelos pinched his nose in disgust. "Dude, ever heard of a breath mint?"

By this time, everyone had gathered around to watch the event including Lloyd, Colette, Sheena and Raine. Zelos drew back his arm, face full of concentration and sweat as his ball began to fuse with his mana, making it pulse in his hand. His arm then slung forward with a snap of his wrist and released the ball…

… when he tripped.

His forehead connected with the corner of the table causing him a great deal of pain. While he was whimpering, he was surprised to hearno one was laughing. They were actually staring in awe, even Damien with his jaw sagging. Zelos looked at his shot and saw that his shot had charred the stool into nothing and all the bottles were lying on the ground.

The owner woke up a little at this, enough to cheer dully: "We have a winner… and he owes me a new stool…"

The crowd cheered and chanted Zelos' name and the ladies, who had been previously ogling Damien, started making a fuss over him.

"This… is… the best day… of my life…" Zelos cried, tears of joy running down his face.

"That moron… he only won by a fluke." Sheena smacked her forehead.

"If I knew better, I'd say you were jealous." Lloyd teased.

"As if-" A huge explosion coming from the edge of the village cut her off.

"What the hell?" Lloyd shouted.

Everyone started screaming and running every which way. "No! Hunnies don't go! The Great Zelos will protect you!" Zelos cried in vain as all the women left screaming into the mass of people.

"I think it came from the Katz Theater!" Colette shouted over the screams.

Raine gasped. "That's where Genis and Presea are!" She wasted no time running in that direction, fighting again the flow of people.

Lloyd and the others followed in no time.

**- X - ****  
**

Genis gapped at the huge monster before him. It was several times as large as he was, with bluish-gray and red skin. Its eyes gleamed a red hue and opened its mouth, which was lined with needle sharp teeth. Its hands and feet had equally, if not sharper, claws stained with a yellow tinge and a stubby tail. Genis glanced back to make sure Presea was safely behind him because she didn't have her Gaia Cleaver with her. They prohibited weapons at the festival.

"What the heck is this thing?" Genis thought out loud as he backed away.

"Unidentified specimen. Origin: Unknown. Threat: Thirty-three percent." Presea said mechanically.

The creature gave roar before it swiped its claws at the two. They barely managed to dodge.

"If only there weren't so many innocents around, I could attack it with my spells." Genis cursed then spotted the stage, which was now empty since the Katz all ran away. "Let's get to the stage!"

"Yes." Both made a break for it, the creature close behind.

"Genis!" Raine screamed from the edge of the small theater as she arrived, the rest running forward to help in any way possible.

"I'm a little busy now, sis!" The mage snapped as he dug in his belt for something.

"Why don't you have your staff out then?" She shouted in a scolding tone, despite the situation her brother was in.

"Staff?" Lloyd thought out loud.

"I got it!" Genis pulled out a small figure from his belt and infused it with his mana.

The figure grew in size till it was a long staff. It was silver and separated into two parts at the top where it held a giant oval sapphire. It had angelic script and blue jewels here and there on it and small white wings sprouted out of the base. Genis twirled in his right hand once before using it to block the creature's claws just in time.

"Hang on, we're coming!" Colette called.

Lloyd got up on the stage and searched for anything he could use to help attack with since he and his companions had no weapons either. He then noticed the plastic and wooden weapons the Katz had dropped before they fled.

"Heads up!" Lloyd called as he threw a wooden sword to Zelos, a couple of plastic rings to Colette and some plain cards to Sheena.

Presea saw what Lloyd was doing and picked up a plastic ax behind her.

"How am I supposed to kill this thing with this crappy sword?" Zelos complained.

"You don't. We just distract it long enough for Genis to use a spell." Lloyd explained picking up a pair of wooden swords that brought back some memories.

The creature was about to go in for the kill on Genis, but a plastic ring bonked it in the back of the head. It turned around.

"Hey stubby butt! Can't touch this!" Zelos shouted slapping his rear in the monster's direction.

It roared in pure fury and charged.

"Was that really necessary, Zelos?" Sheena cried using her mana to infuse the playing cards to block the creature's attack.

"I think you made it mad." Colette added.

"Forget it and just attack!" Lloyd shouted and slashed at its torso with his weak blades.

"The only thing these swords are good for is giving it splinters." Zelos yelled as he whacked the creature repeatedly with his toy sword only to have it snap in half against its skin. "Aw crap!"

The monster took this opportunity to whack him aside with its long arm. Presea, not use to fighting with something so light, threw the toy ax at the creature's head and proceeded to find a better weapon. Lloyd continued to slash and annoy the creature while Colette threw and collected the toy Chakrams.

"Are you almost done, Genis?" Lloyd shouted before he was thrown back into a wall.

"Almost! Just a few more seconds!" The sorcerer replied; staff held in front of him with a purple spell circle surrounding his feet.

Raine just finished giving minor healing to Zelos and ran over to Lloyd. The redhead spotted a lone wooden kendama beside him and picked it up.

"It's raining kendamas!" Zelos shouted as he threw the toy at the creature and the ball on string got tangled around its head.

"Would you stop with the lame attack phrases?" Sheena snapped as she took that opportunity to strike the distracted monster with her cards.

"I call upon thee in the land of the dead to unleash thy fury of thunder…" Everyone abandoned fighting the creature to get out of the way of Genis' spell. "INDIGNATION!"

A large circle of mana surrounded the confused beast for a second before a critical strike of electrified mana struck it. It roared in pain before it fell forward, apparently unconscious.

"… And don't come back!" Genis added for good measure. "Is everyone okay?"

Everyone looked pretty fine. Lloyd and Zelos suffered a few bruises but that was about it. None of them realized till it was too late that the monster had risen again and had lunged at Lloyd, tooth and claw bared to finish off the red clad boy.

"LOOK OUT!" Colette cried.

Lloyd knew he had no chance to get away and squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting death.

"HURRICANE THRUST!"

Lloyd slowly opened his eyes to see that the monster was melting into nothing and everyone was staring wide-eyed at the white clad man standing before him. He had turned around to face Lloyd, who had tears gathering into his eyes.

"It's been a long time Lloyd… my son."

Lloyd slowly rose; his eyes wide.

"D… Dad…"

* * *

**Aisu:** Another chapter down with a small battle scene even! XD; 

Yeah, I gave Genis a new weapon because I wasn't too fond of the idea of a kendama being used by a teenage half elf. You'll see the story behind it in the next chapter I believe. Plus I'll be drawing the staff design in his picture as well.

The updates may go slowly like one or two a week because I've been getting lazy with my latest chapters and don't want that kind of pressure when it comes to it. I want to have at least 2 in reserve even though I have 10 right now. The story gets better once I get more into it and everyone will get a spotlight at some point. I apologize to Regal fans though because he may only be seen in a couple of chapters since when I first did this I didn't like him.

Anyways, till next chapter! Please feel free to leave a review if it's not too much trouble.


	3. Renegade Base

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu: **Again, thank you all for your reviews! They're all very appreciated! In regards to the character pictures for this fic, I still have to draw a few of them and the scorching heat here isn't helping. But my friend/beta-reader drew and colored an awesome reference of Lloyd from this fic though! She gave me permission to, so I put it up on my profile for any who are interested. It's there temporarily till I can finish my versions.

Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: Renegade Base

"D… Dad…" Lloyd sobbed and embraced his blood father.

"No way!" Sheena cried. "Kratos is here?"

Kratos hadn't changed at all. Except for his hair getting a little longer and the fact that he was wearing his judgment outfit.

"How… is that even possible? Derris Kharlan left the Earth's orbit and could never return. This makes no sense!" Raine tugged at her hair trying to come up with a solution.

Kratos looked up from embracing Lloyd to everyone around him. "We repaired the transporter somewhat that went from Derris Kharlan to the ruins of the Tower of Salvation." He explained. "Derris Kharlan was close to earth so we took this chance to test run it."

"That shouldn't be possible though!" Genis protested. "The Tower of Salvation was completely destroyed."

"I'm the living proof that it was possible, no?" Kratos pointed out. "The Great Tree sapling should be producing mana, enough to activate the transport and send at least one person to a location."

"I guess when you put it that way, it would be relevant." Raine scratched her head.

"I'm just happy that Mr. Kratos is back." Colette smiled.

"But I assume that a family reunion was not what you came back for, was it?" Zelos asked inquisitively.

Kratos sighed and let go of Lloyd. "You assume correctly. I came to bring a warning."

"A… warning?" Presea thought out loud.

"Yes. Do you all know what the Harmonia festival is about?" Kratos asked.

Everyone gave the angel seraphim a blank look.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sheena demanded.

"Just answer the question."

"The Harmonia festival: A celebration every fifty years about peace, life, and the Great Tree of Mana." Presea said mechanically.

Kratos closed his eyes and sighed. "It really has changed since four-thousand years…"

"What has, Dad?" Lloyd asked, feeling a little weird calling him Dad.

The angel reopened his eyes. "The Harmonia festival has changed since before the Kharlan War. The original reason for the festival was to celebrate the passing of the Sithom Comet around the Earth's orbit that occurs only once every fifty years."

"The Sithom Comet?" Zelos mused.

"Yes. Now what was the main spectacle before the war?" Kratos asked.

"Well, Mithos the Hero, but what does Mithos have to do with any of this?" Genis asked confused.

"What do you get when you switch the 'M' and the 'S' in Sithom?" Kratos asked in an unimpressed tone as he crossed his arms.

Genis thought before his eyes widened with realization and a little embarrassment. "The… Mithos Comet."

"Correct. Mithos the Hero was the main spectacle at that time so it was only natural that the people would name the comet after him." Kratos explained. "Soon after the war, people began to… despair. I can only assume that that was people began to alter the tradition out of despair."

Everyone nodded to show that they were following somewhat.

"This brings me to explain the warning." Kratos said as he pointed to the sky. "See that red star in the sky?"

"Yeah, I saw that last night when I was stargazing." Lloyd said.

"That is Sithom Comet."

"It's so pretty." Colette awed.

"It's ironic really, that something so 'pretty', can be so deadly." Kratos sighed.

Zelos frowned. "What are you talking about?"

The seraphim made full eye contact with the group. "The Sithom Comet has broken through the orbit. In time, it will impact with the earth and destroy Symphonia, as we know it."

This caused a stunned silence among the group.

"The world… will be destroyed?" Raine gasped but something came to mind. "Wait, if it's a comet, then it should just burn up once it passes through the earth's atmosphere."

Kratos shook his head. "That would be the case for an ordinary comet, but this isn't. This comet is made up of solid rock that contains an overwhelming amount of condensed mana. It's true that the comet will burn up once it enters the atmosphere, but once that mana finally escapes, it will be released in one blast. That mana will not recognize the mana of our world and combust once it comes in contact, causing an explosion so mighty that it will destroy the entire world."

"That's… horrible…" Colette muttered as she cupped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in fright.

"How do we stop it?" Lloyd demanded.

Kratos bowed his head gravely. "Unfortunately, I do not know…"

"So we're supposed to stand here and wait for this thing to kill us all?" Lloyd shouted frustrated.

"I suppose you could look up in a library about the Sithom Comet and see if they have any hints or records on it." Kratos suggested.

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're coming too aren't you?" Genis asked.

"No. I will be going back to Derris Kharlan to see if I can delay the comet in any way." The seraphim explained.

"So you're going back while we all die." Zelos spat bitterly.

"Shut up, Zelos!" Lloyd shouted causing surprise among the group as he stared Kratos in the eyes. "I trust you. Give us as much time as possible… Dad."

Kratos' eyes softened. "I will do as much as I can. Be aware that since the comet has broken through the orbit, new monsters have been appearing like the one you just fought, to try and secure the world and make sure that it is destroyed. I will also speak to Origin who will send you any new information I may gain. Good luck Lloyd..."

With that said Kratos summoned his blue angel wings and flew in the direction of the Tower of Salvation ruins.

Lloyd turned to everyone once the angel was out of sight. "Alright then, we know the threat and we know what we have to do. We'll pack up, head to Yuan's base and pick up the Rheairds. I have a feeling this will be a long journey and we have no time to waste."

Everyone nodded.

"Yeah! We have saved the world once, we can do it again!" Genis threw his fist in the air.

Lloyd smiled. "Where should we go first then?"

"Maybe we should go to Meltokio first." Raine suggested. "Its library had helped us greatly when we had to find out about Colette's Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium and its cure."

"Sounds good."

**- X - ****  
**

The heroes of Symphonia had collected Dirk and Noishe as they left Iselia, explaining the catastrophe along the way. They all packed up their belongings and gathered anything that would be needed for the journey. After waving goodbye to Dirk, they all set off, Noishe following close behind. Halfway, they had reached the House of Salvation and decided to rest the rest of the night. Lloyd, sharing a room with Genis, decided to ask the half elf something that had been bothering him since their encounter with the creature.

"Hey, Genis?" Lloyd sat up and looked at Genis who was studying a bit before bed.

"Yeah, Lloyd?" He put down his book.

"Since when did you change to a staff? I thought you liked kendama."

Genis leaned back on the bedpost. "Once an elven reaches a certain age, thirteen in my case, you have to switch from a kendama to another weapon. I had a choice of: a magic sword, a wand, a staff, a bow and arrow, or a magic whip-type thing. I would have chosen the sword, but I had no one to train me and we were in constant danger since we were half elves. So I chose a staff and Raine taught me how to use it."

"Yeah? Is it a lot different?"

"Not really. But it takes a lot more concentration than a kendama does because it's so much bigger." Genis took out the compact version of his staff and extended it, twirling it around in his fingers like a pro. "Funny thing was I had to use that silly oak rod that Raine started with and it snapped in half once I started to try more advanced spells."

"You mean the Professor had to use a kendama at some point too?" Lloyd laughed at the thought.

"Yeah." Genis chuckled as well. "We found this, Shining Radiance, staff on one of our excavations and Raine reluctantly gave it to me."

"I can only imagine." Lloyd laughed and cleared his throat, putting on a mock-Raine voice. "Blah blah blah study! Blah blah blah ruins! Blah blah blah abuse!"

"Blah blah blah you're in trouble mister!"

Genis laughed. "That last part sounded exactly like Raine."

"I… didn't say that last part." Lloyd blinked.

Both froze with realization and slowly turned their heads towards the door where the Professor was tapping her staff in her palm dangerously, a very unimpressed look on her face.

"Care to continue, Lloyd?" She asked bitterly.

Lloyd shook his head, that fearful expression never flinching. Raine took one last smack of her staff on her palm, making a sharp sound that made them both wince, before she approached.

"Come on, sis… It was just a joke." Genis chuckled fearfully as he backed away.

"Yeah, Professor… It was- wait. I recognize that pose! AHHH!" Lloyd screamed at the thought of being spanked.

"Look, Raine! An ancient fossil of the rare polyarbornasaurus from millions of years ago!" Genis pointed behind his sister.

"Where!" Raine squealed and turned around, but realized something. "Wait a minute, there's no such thing as a polyarbornasaurus. GENIS!"

Raine turned her angry glare back on the boys only to see that no one was there. She caught sight of Lloyd's white scarves just as he and Genis jumped out the window. Blinded by pure rage, Raine jumped out after them. Nobody had a peaceful sleep that night as spanking and screaming filled the air. Well, except for Zelos who was dreaming dirty things.

**- X - ****  
**

Another few hours had passed and the group was finally at the Renegade Base. It had taken longer than they had thought, not because of monsters or bandits or even the desert, but because two of them had been complaining about their sore butts. They were surprised to see that the base was not as they had left it. It had black and red appendages sticking in and out of the building and binding it completely. The door was black and red with a broken control pad beside it.

"Is this… the work of those creatures?" Lloyd gasped.

"It seems that they've secured the base." Raine said. "I don't know if we can even get in."

"We have to! Yuan could be in trouble!" Colette cried.

"Yeah you may be right." Sheena said. "Who knows what could be happening in there."

"I say we storm the door and kick some alien butt!" Zelos declared drawing his sword. "We need the Rheairds either way if we're going to save the world in time, you know?"

"For once I have to agree with you." Genis said, bringing out his staff.

"Then it's settled!" Lloyd took a running start while unsheathing his Material Blades. "CHARGE!"

As soon as Lloyd was within range, black and red tentacles shot out of the door and aimed to grab them all. Lloyd narrowly dodged the first set and ducked behind a piece of rubble to avoid the next. Unfortunately, the next sets managed to catch his ankle, causing him to trip, and the rest bound his arms by his sides as he struggled in vain.

"Damnit… Let go!" Lloyd shouted, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid and running in.

He fell to the ground after someone had sliced him free and that the ripped end of the tentacle was now spurting a red liquid. His savior was Sheena who was nimbly dodging and slicing at any appendages that aimed their way with her magic cards.

"Thanks, Sheena!" Lloyd gasped as he ran in the direction the Sage siblings and Colette were fighting.

"Anytime!" Sheena called.

Zelos was fairing all right. He currently had a few appendages gripping onto a couple of his limbs, such as his sword hand, so he had to sloppily slice with his left hand. Presea was going for the door to fight off the large mass of tentacles. Colette had to keep on flying out of the way with her pink angel wings and sliced with her Chakrams. Genis and Raine couldn't concentrate long enough to complete any spells though so Lloyd chose to help them out.

"Genis! Could you do a spell that could destroy the door?" Lloyd asked as he sliced one of the tentacles that was pulling Genis' wrist.

"Yeah, just back me up so I can actually start a spell." He replied and started concentrating his mana, the spell circle becoming visible at his feet with a red hue.

"No problem!" Lloyd continued to slice oncoming tentacles till he noticed that Sheena was getting tired. "Colette! Back Sheena up!"

"Okay!" Colette flew threw her chakram at a tentacle that had just ensnared Sheena's torso.

"Take this! FLAME LANCE- AHH!" Genis cast the spell but a tentacle escaped Lloyd's wrath and bound him.

The Flame Lance attack went into effect, the air condensing into flame, but the attack went off course and ended up hitting the roof of the base.

"How are we going to get up there?" Raine asked smacking away the tentacles that had her brother.

"Leave that to me!" Sheena shouted, a green summoning circle appearing around her feet. "I call upon the Heavenly Messengers. COME, SYLPH!"

The three faeries materialized out of nowhere and faced Sheena. "You called, Master?" Sephie asked.

"Yeah! Summon a tornado that will drop us over the roof of the base into that hole!" Sheena commanded.

"As you wish." The three faeries joined hands and started to spin slowly at first, but then picked up speed till they were mere blurs.

Eventually, all that spinning created a torrential vortex that lifted everyone in the group off the ground and made them swirl around with the current.

"Whoa! I think I'm going to be sick!" Zelos shouted as he flipped around helplessly.

"Don't worry! It'll be over soon!" Sheena screamed over the noise of the winds and her companion's screaming.

The storm had stopped and they were all descending into the base, the Sylph disappearing. They all had to take a moment to get their heads straight after they landed.

"Whew! What a wild ride…" Zelos groaned.

"At least we got to the base." Colette tried to be optimistic.

"No damage detected. We proceed?" Presea asked in her mechanical tone.

"Yeah. Lets find Yuan." Lloyd said.

"That won't be necessary." A blue haired man said from behind them. "Because I've already found you."

"Yuan!" Lloyd said happily but his expression changed to one of horror.

Yuan had his cape off, revealing his battle suit and his double-edged sword in his grip. His irises were blood red. He ran forward to strike.

"Yuan! Hey! It's us- GUARDIAN!" Lloyd shouted, as his green shield appeared just in time as Yuan's sword would've severed his head.

"He won't listen to us!" Genis cried as he blocked the man's strike with his staff. "It's like he's brainwashed!"

"DUAL EDGED SWORD SLASH!" Yuan shouted and spun his weapon causing everyone close to jump back.

"I think he is brainwashed." Zelos said swinging his Excalibur and tearing Yuan's armor slightly.

"We can't hurt him though! It's not his fault!" Colette pleaded and evaded Yuan's strike.

Yuan paused and held his weapon out in front summoning his mana, the rest watching helplessly. "THUNDER EXPLOSION!"

Dozens of lightning bolts materialized near the roof and struck down simultaneously at their targets, which were unfortunately Sheena and Genis who had been summoning attacks at the time. Both cried out and fell to the ground, twitching from the electricity intake.

"Genis! Sheena!" Lloyd shouted and charged at Yuan who was smirking his own little victory.

"DEVESTATION!" Presea shouted and swung her ax down, but Yuan had managed to block with his own weapon.

"SUPER SONIC THRUST!" Lloyd shouted and thrust his right sword, aiming to finish this.

Yuan maneuvered his sword so that it still blocked Presea's ax but the flat caught Lloyd's Vopal Sword as well. He then swung his sword so that the two would stumble before he landed a swift kick to Lloyd's stomach and slashed Presea's side with his double-edged sword. Zelos then decided to make his presence known.

"Burn baby! ERUPTION!" Zelos called out.

Lava spewed from the carpet floors beneath Yuan and erupted causing the seraphim to fly upwards and sear his armor a bit. He flipped over nimbly to his feet then charged and exchanged blows with the redhead. Yuan won the draw easily and knocked Zelos back by force.

"Root of all creation, grant us the breath of life! REVITALIZE!" Raine cast and the room was engulfed in blue and white symbols that healed most of everyone's serious wounds.

Lloyd got up to his feet and noticed Colette approaching him.

"Lloyd! Are you okay?" Colette asked.

"Yeah, we have to finish this or else we'll never get the Rheairds." Lloyd growled before an idea came to him. "Colette, let's go in for a union attack."

Colette caught on quickly. "Okay!"

Genis, who had risen weakly after Raine's Revitalize technique, began to chant another spell. "May the merciless embrace of frost take thee… ABSOLUTE!"

The air condensed into pure ice, which slowly froze Yuan's body till he was nothing but a mere ice statue. Unfortunately, Genis' attack was shattered and he was struck back the sword and knocked back into the wall.

"BEAST!" Presea swirled her ax around, which released built up energy in the shape of a beast and struck Yuan.

Yuan flipped backward to his feet and charged in to finally destroy the girl but was conked on the head by a small rubber hammer.

"POW HAMMER!" Colette cried.

"HEAVY TIGER BLADE!" Lloyd slashed Yuan from behind with a double strike. "Watch this!" His Material Blades glowed with light before they transformed into large iron hammers that resembled Colette's Pow Hammers. "POW BLADE!" He swung one of the hammers above his head and Yuan could only watch as the hammer descended against his skull knocking him to the floor.

The seraphim struggled to get up but was overtaken by the massive headache and collapsed.

Lloyd's knees buckled and he fell onto his butt. "Is… is everyone alright?"

Raine was currently applying healing magic to Genis and Sheena while Zelos took care of Presea's bleeding side. Colette was just resting on the ground. Lloyd heard something screeching and looked down at Yuan's unconscious form to see a small beetle-like creature scurrying out of his neck in a gruesome fashion. Lloyd snatched it before it could get away and saw that it was black with red lining and had small fangs.

"Professor! What do you make of this?" He walked up to Raine who had just finished healing Sheena.

"Why, this is a Piku!" Raine inspected the bug in fascination.

"What's a Piku? I just saw it crawl out of Yuan's neck." Lloyd asked.

"Piku are little demon bugs that fuse into the subject's body and take over their nervous system completely and can make the subject do whatever they want." Raine explained. "It's normally difficult to know if a Piku has possessed someone, but the only hint they leave is the subject's eyes being red."

Lloyd looked a little disgusted but heard moaning from behind and saw that Yuan was waking up. "Yuan!"

Yuan rubbed his aching skull and saw everyone gathering around him. "What the hell are you all doing here?"

"You don't remember anything at all?" Raine asked.

"All I remember was preparing for an invasion then… that's it." He looked around to see the appendages sticking in and out all around the room. "Damnit…"

"Um, sorry about the headache, Mr. Yuan, but you were attacking us so we had to fight back." Colette apologized.

"I attacked you?" Now Yuan was beginning to get a little freaked out.

"You were being controlled by this Piku." Lloyd said holding out the bug.

Yuan took the bug and looked at it before throwing it to the floor and stomping on it with his boot repeatedly. Everyone backed away slightly since they thought Yuan had gone a little coo coo. When he was done, the now smashed Piku was staining the carpet with green ooze.

"I… hate… bugs…" Yuan hissed through clenched teeth before turning his attention to the confused bunch and regained his cool composure. "So, what brings you here?"

"We came to pick up the Rheairds." Lloyd said.

He quickly went over the basic story of the world going to be destroyed and why those creatures had captured Yuan's base.

"Very well then. They're in the hanger and you know the way. I'm going to… lie down now…" With that, Yuan left to go to his room, holding his head.

Our heroes wasted no time going to the hanger, operating the controls and taking off in the Rheairds towards Meltokio.

* * *

**Aisu:** Hee... I love Yuan. XD 

Sorry to those who may be disappointed by the lack of Kratos, but he won't be playing a huge role in this fic. It's not because I don't like him, it's just that he didn't fit in with what I had planned. If this fic does go as I planned it though, he will appear later in the fic. I hope this doesn't upset anyone so much that they'll stop reading because I can't change it. I'm already 13 chapters in afterall. u.u

Anyways, please leave a review if it's not a problem!


	4. Elemental Crests

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Ugh, sorry it took so long to get this up! I've been busy... heh, busy in the summer, how sad is that? XD; But yeah... I don't have much to say other than I rather dislike this chapter (But my beta-reader actually really liked it for some reason. o.o; ), and the reference pics are on the way. No specific date when they'll be done but they WILL get done!

Anyways, all your reviews are greatly appreciated! Please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4: Elemental Crests   


The heroes of Symphonia approached Meltokio and wheeled over the large city to check it over first. There were no signs of black creatures or any life at all along the streets so they descended by the gate for a landing and gathered the Rheairds in their wingpacks. Zelos went forward and knocked on the main gate.

"YO! THE GREAT ZELOS WILDER HAS RETURNED! OPEN UP!" The loudmouth cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.

There was no answer, nor was there the creaking of chains and pulleys to signal that they were at least opening the gate.

"That's odd. They usually start opening it by now." Zelos frowned.

"I can see why they wouldn't." Genis smirked.

Zelos glared at the sorcerer before he started to kick the gate. "Tch… something must have happened. We'll have to go through the sewers."

"I guess we have no other choice." Sheena shrugged, as much as she disliked stepping through sewage.

"Do you think the creatures got into Meltokio too?" Colette asked as they began to walk to the left of the gate.

"I detected no life forms as we circled in the Rheairds." Presea mentioned.

"That's right. In fact, I saw no one at all." Raine mused. "Aren't the streets usually filled to the brim with people?"

"Yep." Zelos answered as he pulled open the gating that sealed off the sewer. "This place was perfectly fine when I left."

They all tromped through the water, which soon turned an ugly shade of green-ish brown as they stepped in further, and the smell became almost unbearable. Suddenly, they heard a loud crash and turned around to see that boulders and bricks that had fallen from the roof had sealed the entrance.

"Shit." Zelos cursed. "That was one of the main routes the sewage leaves. In about an hour, this whole place will be flooded!"

"Just how I always wanted to die… drowned in sewage…" Sheena muttered sarcastically.

Raine gave a sharp gasp. "Raine can't swim, remember?" Genis panicked for his sister.

"Can't you blow open the entrance?" Lloyd asked.

"Not in this tunnel. I'll only bring the roof on our heads." The sorcerer replied.

"Then we have no choice. We can probably make it to the exit within fifteen minutes, excluding fighting." Presea informed.

"Then let's get a move on!" Raine cried hysterically as she ran ahead of the group and the rest caught up quickly.

Because all the traps and mazes had already been solved, all the group had to worry about were the enemies and sewer rats that were lurking. Of course, the monsters weren't going to let them pass without a fight and the blade-wielding people had to slash them away. By the time they reached the last room, the sewage had pooled in the middle of the room so they had to swim across.

"Come on, Raine! We have to hurry!" Genis yanked on the Professor's hand.

"I-I can't… It's too much l-like last time…" Her eyes were wide and fear was clear.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I could carry the Professor and fly for that long…" Colette apologized.

Genis sighed and frustration before releasing his staff and giving it a swing that caused the previously small white wings to grow into long beautiful feathered wings. "Use Shining Radiance to get to higher ground."

"But-" She started.

"Do it!" Genis snapped and shoved the staff into her hands.

As much as she disliked being ordered by her little brother, she also didn't want to slow any of them down so she mounted, sidesaddle style. The staff, as if it had a mind of its own, started to flap its wings till it flew her over to the opposite staircase along with Colette where they waited for the others.

"Thank Martel that this is only sewer water in here instead of sewage." Sheena sighed and dove in.

"The black uniform was so tempting but NO, you had to go and take the white uniform!" Zelos grumbled and mentally kicked himself.

"Oh, suck it up!" Genis snapped. "We're both going to get our white outfits stained, okay?"

"Yeah, you're giving me a headache!" Lloyd groaned as he and Genis jumped into the water.

Zelos looked at Presea who was the only one left with him. "Are you going to be a little nicer than they were, my little Rosebud?"

Presea stared at him.

"… You should have picked the black uniform." That was all she said before she dove in as well.

"Ouch… that hurts coming from you…" Zelos winced and held his nose before hopping in very ungracefully.

The water had continued to rise at a quicker pace till they were heaving themselves to solid ground, but technically they were still half submerged. Lloyd took the lead going up the ladder and pushed off the top of the manhole.

"Hurry! The water's almost to the top!" Colette cried as she and Raine flew up a bit higher to avoid staining their white shoes further.

Lloyd popped his head out of the hole and froze.

"What's taking so long? It's getting deeper by the second!" Sheena shouted from the bottom of the ladder.

"Um… we're in a bit trouble." Lloyd said as he stared at the bladed ends of at least a dozen Papal Knight axes that surrounded the hole.

**- X - ****  
**

"So, you all escaped the sewers I see." The King of Tethe'alla frowned, clad in his imperial robes.

Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Raine, Zelos, Sheena and Presea stood before the king, each unarmed and with their hands on top of their heads to show that they remained unarmed. The Papal Knights lined the room to stop any chaos that may occur.

"What happened, Kingie? Didn't you miss your favorite knight, Zelos?" Zelos asked bitter sweetly.

The King cracked up laughing as if Zelos had just said the funniest joke in the world. "Do you think I'd try to drown you if I did?"

"Yeah… speaking of drowning, shouldn't most of Meltokio be submerged by now?" Sheena asked.

"Fools, I meant the trap for when Zelos returned, but it was a bonus when you all came. Once the job was done, I had the guards release the plug." He explained.

"What was the whole reason behind trying to kill us? Didn't we save your life at some point?" Lloyd mentioned raising a finger from his head.

The King looked dumbfounded for a second but cleared his throat. "That means nothing with all the crimes you have committed."

"Like what?" Lloyd asked bluntly.

"Well… you never paid the price for coming from the distant land of Sylvarant." The King stated.

"That occurred two years ago." Presea stated.

"Well, um… you attacked my pope!"

"He attacked us first!" Colette protested.

"You're working with half elves!"

"Don't give us that crap! Raine and I already cleared this place of discrimination and you even made it a law!" Genis stated a tad annoyed by now.

The King thought long and hard, the group unimpressed and Papal Knights standing confused, till he shouted in frustration, his eyes flaring red. "ENOUGH! I'm sick and tired of arguing with a bunch of kids who smell like rotten sewage! Guards, send them to the dungeons and put the half elves in a reinforced cell so they can't use magic to escape!"

Despite the confusion, the Knights did as ordered and dragged everyone to the lower parts of Meltokio Castle. Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, Zelos and Presea were put in a regular cell while Genis and Raine were put in a mana reinforced cell across from them.

"Well, that was completely embarrassing and stupid." Sheena growled. "And these cells, don't they know that some of us can pick locks?" She went to do so.

"No kidding." Lloyd cracked up. "When he mentioned the pope, I was about ready to die laughing."

"I think the Piku that's controlling him can't exactly configure his memories properly." Raine called from her cell as Genis was using smaller spells on the bars, which fizzled out on contact, out of boredom.

"You think a Piku is controlling him?" Colette asked.

"Well, I noticed that his eyes were red just before he sent us here." The Professor pointed out. "Otherwise, I see no other reason for him to imprison us like this."

"Damnit!" Sheena cursed. "Maybe these cells aren't quite so crappy after all. I can't even pick the lock."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention we upgraded our dungeons. Now with a shiny new lock!" Zelos said but one glare from Sheena made him shut up.

"Have you guys figured out a way to escape yet? I'm bored!" Genis went back to his old habits and kicked a bar of his cell causing it to spark and fizzle.

Raine smacked him over the head. "Don't take lightly of the situation!" She snapped.

"Well it really isn't that big a deal." Lloyd shrugged. "We're in the place we wanted to be. All we have to do is escape, get past all the guards, reach the library and find a book that might help us."

"That is still an awful lot." Presea said.

Genis snorted. "Hey guys, I bet they didn't enforce any mana into these floors. I don't have a digging spell though."

"I'll take care of that." Sheena said and summoned her mana causing a brown spell circle to surround her feet. "I call upon the servant of Mother Earth. Come, Gnome!"

There was a flash of light and a large mole, with a red bow on its head, holding a shovel appeared out of nowhere. "Yo, what's up?"

"Gnome, could you dig a tunnel underground till be reach the library of the castle?" Sheena asked.

"No problem, toots!" With that said, Gnome's bow started spinning wildly and the summon spirit went face first into the ground, beginning the tunnel.

"Oh, so when I call you 'toots', you're all Undine on my ass, but when a freaking muskrat calls-"

"Shut up, Zelos!" Shouted everyone, even Presea and Colette.

**- X - ****  
**

The King of Tethe'alla, being controlled by a Piku, was happily bouncing up and down on his bed, much to the confusion of a pair of Papal Knights standing guard. You can bet they were pretty disturbed by now. A sudden rumbling in the ground caught their attention.

"Was that an earthquake?" The first knight asked.

"What? I was too busy gawking at his majesty." The second knight frowned, you couldn't see it but he did.

"Hm… maybe it was just my imagination." The first knight scratched his head.

"Guards! I order you to come and jump on the bed with me!" The King ordered.

The Papal Knights shrugged at each other before they went to jump on the bed with the King.

**- X - ****  
**

Along the way through the tunnel, our heroes managed to find their weapons when Gnome buzzed through a pillar that must've held up a small room or something. Either way, their weapons fell through; they all jumped for joy, and then continued on their way. Eventually, Gnome stopped and tapped the roof with its shovel till a hole appeared.

"This is the library here. I don't why you'd want to go in there though since reading is boring but whatever. See ya!" Gnome chirped before it vanished.

Everyone piled into the room and immediately started scanning the shelves for any books on the Sithom Comet.

"Swordsmanship for Dummies… The World of Elves… The World Regeneration… The Great Hero… Ew, Sexy Monthly. What's this doing here?" Sheena tossed the magazine over her shoulder, which was quickly collected by Zelos.

"I believe I have found something." Presea said holding a huge book that almost looked too heavy to carry.

"Good work, Presea." Raine praised and flipped through the book causing dust to build up.

Colette's nose twitched and she sneezed, the recoil causing her to hit a bookshelf and a book to fall down onto her head.

"Bless you." Lloyd said.

"Thanks." She replied sheepishly while rubbing the bump on her head from the book.

"Hm…" They turned their attention back to Raine who was frowning at the book. "This writes a lot about the Sithom Comet, but Kratos already filled us in on all this information. It writes nothing about how to stop a comet."

"Maybe we should find an astrology book then." Genis suggested.

"Good idea!" Raine said and everyone went back to searching for books.

"Hey, what's this book?" Lloyd picked up the book from Colette's lap that had fallen off the shelf. "It's called: Tales of Symphonia."

"Let's look at it!" Colette beamed and opened the book to the table of contents. "It looks like there's a lot of information in here about the earlier times."

"There's something on… when the worlds were separated, something about World Regeneration, the Kharlan War and… huh? Elemental Crests?" Lloyd said confused.

"What?" Genis looked up when he heard Lloyd say the name. "Where have I seen that phrase before… oh yeah!" He dug into his cloak until he pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "Hey Lloyd, look at this."

"What do you have there?" Lloyd asked as he watched Genis unroll the paper.

Now that he could see clearly, Genis now knew that it definitely said: 'ELEMENTAL CRESTS'. It looked to be a part of a map with three different locations labeled: 'Mystic Fountains', 'Frolen Ruins', and 'Toryunga Forest'.

"This is weird. I've never heard of these places before, yet they look like they're from parts of Symphonia." Lloyd said. "Mystic Fountains looks like it's near Lake Umacy, Frolen Ruins seems to be near Hima, and Toryunga Forest is right in Heimdall."

"Maybe we should read the book and find out more about this." Colette suggested cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm curious about this myself." Lloyd said flipping the pages of the book past the table of contents.

Genis took over flipping through the pages till he found the pages that concerned the crests and read out loud catching the attention of the others.

"Nearly four-thousand years ago, the Great Kharlan War occurred where the two sides of the world fought. One side was the land of Sylvarant, while the other was called Tethe'alla. Both lands had been vying for the share of mana that flowed from one side to the next for quite some time using the Journey of Regeneration to alternate the flow. The war broke out when the two lands became frustrated with the complicated process and began to attempt to destroy the opposing land. Mithos the Hero appeared, along with his companions and knights, each with its own element. The knights used their crests, which were the sources of their elemental energy, to fuse with the Eternal Sword, which Mithos wielded, to amplify his power to the point that it could possibly crush an entire planet. With the power that he wielded, Mithos sacrificed his body and the Great Kharlan Tree to end the war. The Eternal Sword became lost along with Mithos' companions and the knights and the Elemental Crests, with no wielders, scattered among the lands. The people assumed that Mithos had died from loss of mana and the Tree to have just withered and died and became sorrowful. Along with the end of the war, the King's of both sides signed a peace treaty with one another. With the tree gone, the two sides had no choice but to vie for the mana because if one world died, then the other died as well. Mithos angered the people for his sacrifice that forced them to sacrifice their own as well. They soon refused the traditional celebration of the hero and the comet, which had been named after him…"

Genis decided to stop there and absorb the information. "Poor, Mithos… not only was he hated because he was a half elf, but because he made it so the worlds keep on vying for mana."

"FANTASTIC!" Raine squealed causing the three to nearly jump out of their skin. "There's so much more information in this book about the past ages than in any of my other books! Oh, the knowledge it contains!"

"It mentions something called the Elemental Crests." Sheena said. "It says the knights fused the crests with the Eternal Sword to create a power that could wipe out an entire planet."

"Yes." Presea agreed. "Lloyd possesses the Eternal Sword. If we could obtain the crests, then we may be able to destroy the comet before it reaches Symphonia."

"That sounds good to me." Zelos said. "Anything is better than being wiped out by a comet."

"I have a few locations on the piece of map I found, but I'm sure there are many more." Genis said flapping the map up and down.

Raine snatched the map from Genis and her eyes sparkled once they landed on Frolen Ruins. "Oh we have to go to Frolen Ruins first!"

Genis took back the map. "I think we should leave there for last."

"Fine then." Raine huffed. "We should find a book about the Elemental Crests before we do anything."

"Already done!" Zelos announced, returning with a book covered in blue cloth and embroidered in jewels.

The Professor took the book and flipped through the pages about the knight's histories till she found the perfect page and read out loud.

"… Each knight received a crest that represented his elemental ability. There was one crest for each of the eight knights, an Earth Crest, Water Crest, Flame Crest, Ice Crest, Wind Crest, Thunder Crest, Shadow Crest and a Light Crest. During the Kharlan War, the knights fused their crests with the Eternal Sword, which brought it unlimited power. After the Sword faded along with the knights, the crests separated in search of a wielder across the lands. They each became lost in different hidden temples around the world where a Guardian guards them against robbers and bandits. A map was made of the different locations, but torn up and sealed away in three locations so that Justice may find and use the Elemental Crests for good and Evil shall never prevail."

Raine ended it there. "So we have one of the pieces of the map. We have three choices, where should we go first?" For good measure, she coughed something that sounded like 'ruins'.

"We should start off with somewhere that is obvious on the map." Sheena said taking the map from Genis. "The only dead on place is the Toryunga Forest, which is in Heimdall."

Both half elves winced slightly at the name, Heimdall.

"But Genis and the Professor-" Colette was cut off when Raine put up her hand.

"We'll be fine." She said reassuringly.

"Let's get out of here then before the guards find…" Lloyd opened the door only to find dozens of Papal Knights lining the doorway, axes drawn. "… Us… You know? I'm getting sick of looking at axes by now. No offense, Presea."

"Out of the way." Presea ordered as she drew her ax and stabbed it into the floor. "MASS DESTRUCTION!"

Pieces of the flooring flew up and smashed into the Knights, knocking some to the ground. Presea took this chance and hopped onto one of the Knight's helmets and crossed from helmet to helmet. The rest followed suit till they reached the doorway and locked the Knights inside temporarily.

"We have to make it to the gate before we can release the Rheairds!" Lloyd shouted as they ran out of the castle.

"But what about the poor King? We can't let the Piku control him forever!" Colette protested.

"We'll have to save him later. We have no time right now." Lloyd replied as they reached the main gate but skidded to a stop. "Oh for the love of, looks like you'll be getting your wish after all, Colette."

Standing before the gate was the King and a dozen of his Papal Knights.

"You have no reason to keep us here. Let us pass." Presea demanded.

The King completely ignored her though. "So, you've escaped twice now. This time, I'm going to spare you as prisoners, and just make you dead." He raised his hand. "Papal Knights, DESTROY THEM!"

The Knights charged in and each of the heroes drew their weapons and split off. Lloyd, Colette, Sheena, Zelos and Presea ran into the fray while Genis and Raine stayed behind to cast spells. Lloyd and the two knights he fought exchanged blows. He fought more with one knight and knocked away the other whenever it got in the way. Zelos, having been around Papal Knights all his life, knew exactly how to deal with the knights he fought. He stabbed his sword for the helmet, but drew back as soon as his sword touched the armor.

"What the hell?" He cursed as he felt mana repel his sword.

"Our armor has been eliminated of its flaws by reinforcing it with mana. It will repel any weapon that strikes it." The Papal Knight laughed.

"I guess that means the butt plate has been eliminated of its 'flaws' as well." Zelos scowled but quickly noticed the other Knight attacking him and jumped out of the way.

Sheena and Colette were having the same problem. Colette threw her chakrams at the knights only to have them reflected back to her. Sheena could only dodge as the two Knights swiped at her with their large axes since her mana infused cards did no good. Presea was only strong enough to make them wobble backwards slightly.

"SONIC SWORD RAIN!" Lloyd shouted and parried his sword at sonic speed at the Knight's armor but left no dent. "No good, how do we defeat these things?"

"Magic doesn't seem to work either!" Genis shouted as he back away from the approaching Knights.

The King laughed at them. "You fools! I had their armor fixed with a mana shield placed beneath it! It continues to pulsate so long as it operates!"

"Kingie isn't that smart. The Piku must've given him the idea to do this!" Zelos thought out loud then an idea struck him. "Hey guys! Knock 'em over somehow then strike them while they're down!"

Everyone looked at him confused, but no one objected.

"HUNTING BEAST!" Lloyd and Presea both shouted and swung their weapons around, which released built up energy in the shape of a beast, and knocked the Papal Knights onto their backs.

They both then stabbed at the armor, which to their surprise broke through, incapacitating the Knights.

"DREADED WAVE!" Genis shouted and an earthquake occurred that shook the Knights senseless till they fell.

"RAY!" Raine followed up where blasts of light destroyed their armor and anyone inside.

Sheena stood as two Knights charged straight at her. At the last second, she jumped out of the way and both clanged head and fell from the recoil. Colette flew around two of the Knights till they were too dizzy to notice as she rammed them to the ground.

"JUDGEMENT!" Colette called and the lights of heaven penetrated the armored hides of the four Papal Knights.

Last, but not least, Zelos had jumped on top of a Knight's helmet and the other Knight, brainlessly, went after him and ended up connecting with the one Zelos was standing on and both toppled over. Zelos landed on the ground gracefully.

"HURRICANE THRUST!" He shouted and stabbed through both Knights.

"N-No! How did you know how to kill them?" The King gasped and backed away from the smirking group.

"Simple." Zelos chirped. "Once they fall, the armor vibrates, which causes the shield to falter temporarily, leaving them wide open." He walked forward.

"Stay back!" The King stuttered and backed away till he was back to back with the gate. "I-I know kung-fu!"

The redhead laughed before bashing his majesty's head in with the hilt of his sword, making him fall unconscious instantly. "Lights out, Kingie!"

The Piku desperately pulled itself out of the King's neck before attempting to skitter away. It was squashed by Zelos' boot before it got very far.

"Nice going, Zelos!" Lloyd laughed patting the redhead's shoulder. "That was a pretty clever plan you had there. I almost thought you were being controlled by a Piku yourself!"

"I must admit I'm impressed." Genis grinned.

"Yeah, for a stupid Chosen, that wasn't half bad." Sheena admitted.

Zelos beamed and wrapped an arm around her waist. "That means a lot coming from you, my voluptuous hunny!"

"Get off of me!" Sheena growled and pushed him away.

"What should we do with the King?" Colette asked.

"The Papal Knights will be here soon. They'll take care of him." Zelos assured as he opened the gate.

Once outside, the group released the Rheairds from their wingpacks and took off. Their destination: Heimdall.

* * *

**Aisu: **Yay for the plot! Now we can get into more serious stuff, but not abandon the humor completely! 

Chapter 13 has really been a bit of a pain for me at the moment. I'm stuck on the battle scene trying to give everyone a piece of the fight... But once that chapter's done, I'll have fairly clear ideas for the next chapters! Whee!

Please leave a review if it isn't too much trouble!


	5. Toryunga Forest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** As always, I appreciate all your reviews and any feedback I receive! I've finally finished drawing all seven characters' outfits and am going to color them so please be patient . I have a life outside the computer too you know and can't do all this under pressure. I like to do my work to the best of my ability, like my fanfics. So please don't rush me.

Of course, since they're going to Heimdall, this is going to be a more Genis and Raine chapter. Don't like half elf drama? Then don't read this chapter. I'm trying to say this in the nicest way possible since this is a more serious chapter. There are several action scenes though! ;D This is the only chapter I've done so far with major half elf drama so don't worry. I'm not too fond of it either since I love Genis and Raine. I must've just been in a bad mood when I wrote the chapter or something.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5: Toryunga Forest   


"This is it, guys. Are we ready?" Lloyd asked.

The group of heroes had just landed on the outskirts of the Ymir Forest. The forest had grown fuller since the last time they all had been there. Lush, green, blooming and full of life, it was still a spectacular sight to the viewer's eye. The Rheairds were safely packed away and Lloyd was just making a few last minute precautions.

"Yup. We should have enough gels and first aid to last us a long time." Sheena said checking through her bag.

"And we have enough food to last for around a week at most." Genis mentioned as he re-strapped the wingpack onto his back.

Lloyd then turned to Raine. "Professor, are you sure you and Genis will be okay?"

Raine glanced at her brother who nodded before looking back at Lloyd. "We'll stay with you, even if they shun us. We won't turn back."

"Plus you need us to save you when your temper gets you into trouble, Lloyd." Genis added slyly.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Lloyd pouted. "I don't get into trouble…" Everyone rolled their eyes and chuckled causing Lloyd to get a little paranoid. "No really, I don't!" They ignored the swordsman though and started along the bridge. "Hey!"

Having been through the Ymir Forest many times before, the heroes of Symphonia had no trouble navigating through the jungle-like paradise, crossing bridges or fighting any enemies. The only real problems were the giant wasps or mantises that carried venom in their pincers, but they could be set aside without too much difficulty. They had almost reached Heimdall when they heard screams filling the air.

"What the?" Zelos began. "Didn't that come from ahead?"

"They came from Heimdall!" Raine gasped.

"We've got to help them!" Colette cried to Lloyd.

"Yeah. Who knows what might be happening to them all." Lloyd looked below the bridge they were standing on to the narrow one below. "Let's take a shortcut."

With that, he leapt from the bridge and roughly landed below in a squat before dashing towards the village. The rest soon followed his lead and quickly caught up. Lloyd halted at the gate one he caught sight of what was disturbing the peace of Heimdall. It was more of the black creatures that they had fought in Iselia, three in all, all tearing apart buildings with their fearsome claws and swatting away any elves that opposed them. By then, the rest of Lloyd's party had caught up.

"Damnit! We've got to get in there!" Lloyd growled and went to charge forward but Raine caught him by the scruff of his collar.

"We don't want to rush in and make the same mistake we did at the Renegade Base, remember?" Raine smacked him on the head, hoping that it would jog some sense into his brain. "We need a plan."

"But they need help now! Some are even still trapped in the buildings!" Lloyd protested as he watched an elf nearly get sliced in half by the deadly claws of one of the creatures.

"Don't worry," Raine said examining the surrounding environment. "I already have one. Just sit tight and I'll explain quickly."

**- X - ****  
**

The elves continued to scream as their homes were destroyed and their warriors fell at the creature's hands. Just as one of the creatures about to skewer a mother elf and her child, something caught its eye, giving the elves just enough time to escape. Four new-comers stepped forward, one with brown hair clad in red, one with silver hair wearing a blue and white cloak, one with pink hair wearing a black jacket and one with raven hair and a ninja-like outfit.

"Leave this village alone!" Lloyd ordered thrusting one of his blades at the monsters.

"If you wish to fight, fight with us." Presea stated.

The creatures snarled and began to face them.

"Yeah, let's do it just as Raine planned." Sheena said bringing out her cards.

"Exactly." Genis added preparing a spell.

Meanwhile, there was a bit of rustling going on in the bushes that no one took notice of. Out emerged Raine, Colette and Zelos and went into different houses.

"Please follow me; we're here to help you." Raine held out her hand to a small family of elves trapped inside their home. "You must send out the children first."

"You're a half elf!" The male elf spat. "We don't take help from your kind! And don't even think about laying a hand on my children!"

Raine sighed. "My friends are distracting the monsters right now. They can turn back and kill you if they catch on to what we're trying to do. Now will you come or not?"

"Please hunny, the children are scared." The female elf pleaded to the male who could only be her husband.

He growled under his breath then looked Raine in the eye. "I will not take your offer but if you can break a hole in the wall, then we will escape ourselves."

Raine frowned but none-the-less had no choice but to agree and summoned her mana. "Stand back! PHOTON!"

A golden mana circle appeared on the side of the home and in a few seconds shattered the wood to make a large hole that would allow the family to escape. With a quick, "Thank you" and "Sorry" from the wife, the family left Raine to watch how the others were doing. The decoy group was going as planned, only distracting the monsters till the premises were vacated by herself, Colette and Zelos. The said two were leading the elves into a deeper part of the village where they would be safe. Colette led her group quite easily as she flew and kept everyone calm. Zelos, on the other hand, kept on flirting with some of the females and their husbands were not impressed. Everything was going accordingly.

"Professor! Everyone's been evacuated I think!" Colette announced as she flew to Raine's side.

"Good." Raine pointed at one of the trees. "I want to cut down that tree and I'll take the other and then we'll send the signal to Lloyd's group."

"Okay!" Colette beamed and threw her Angel's Halo chakrams at the base of the tree making two clean slices that sent the tree falling.

"PHOTON!" Raine summoned the same golden mana but this time it attached itself to the tree's base and blew it to smithereens. "Okay the path has been blocked off, send the signal to Lloyd!"

"Yes, Professor!" Colette said before sending her mana straight to her wings making them grow large and blindingly bright.

**- X - ****  
**

Genis easily saw the flash. "Lloyd! They're finished!"

Lloyd dodged a swing of the creature's claws and looked back at Genis. "I saw! I'm sick of distracting these things, now we can get serious!" Lloyd leapt as high as he could over the creature and did midair somersaults where he slashed open the top of its head. "PSI TEMPEST!"

The monster snarled in anger but was quickly met by an upward slice across its torso from Presea. "INFLICTION!"

Sheena ran in and sliced at the monster's torso with her mana cards before see took four cards and they started to float in a spherical motion around the creature. "DEMON SEAL!" The center of the sphere grew dark and kanji that said 'demon' lit up in red and the whole sphere exploded, causing critical damage and black blood to spatter, which ended its life.

One of the creatures fled in fear of being gutted alive while the other had disappeared. "Where did that second one go?" Genis asked scanning the area, still summoning a spell.

Little after he asked, the creature jumped out from the foliage and aimed to skewer the young half elf where he stood. Genis squeezed his eyes shut waiting for impact, but heard a clang, which caused him to open his eyes. Presea was in front of him, holding back the claws with the flat of her ax. It was a stand off till it shoved Presea's ax aside and knocked her aside. Sheena caught her and Lloyd took several swings with his swords at the beast's black and red hide. It cried in pain as black oozed from its wounds. By then, Genis was ready to cast.

"Now it's my turn! GRAVE!" Genis shouted and a flat block of blue tinged earth knocked the monster in the air.

Almost immediately, four other slabs of sharp earth stabbed through its skin and bone. It instantly died, its pulverized body mangled as the 'Grave' attack sunk back into the ground.

"Yuck… what a horrible sight." Sheena almost gagged and covered her eyes.

Genis cringed. "Maybe… I over did it a bit…"

"WOAH COOL!" Lloyd shouted and poked at the corpse with one of his swords. "You sure know how to kill 'em!"

The sorcerer scowled. "You haven't grown up at all!"

The offense team then noticed that Raine, Colette and Zelos were returning along with several unhappy elves that began setting flame to the monster corpses.

"We finished them off, but one got away." Lloyd said.

"Don't worry." Raine reassured. "That one got cornered by our wall of trees and we killed it easily."

"Well that's good to know." Sheena said as she watched the elves condense the air to flame. "Since we saved their village AGAIN, maybe they'll show us the way to Toryunga Forest. They do after all owe us that at least."

"It would be an equivalent exchange. But they may still be uneasy…" Presea trailed off when she glanced at the two half elves.

"They'll have to accept it." Lloyd stated bluntly. "There's no way we're turning back when the world's at stake-"

Lloyd was cut off when he heard the sound of a baby crying. Genis caught the location first and picked up the small baby elf.

"Aw… the poor thing must've gotten separated from his mommy." Colette cooed as she fawned over the baby elf. "We have to find your mommy now, don't we?" The baby giggled at Colette.

Lloyd blinked as everyone left him to gush over the baby. "Um… okay. We'll find his parents THEN we'll see the elder."

"Thank you, Lloyd!" Colette put on a baby tone and waved the baby's hand at the red clad swordsman.

Lloyd flushed causing them all to laugh. The heroes entered the village, after passing by the gate of fallen trees, and walked to the heart where Raine and the others had relocated the elves. It wasn't long before all of their glares were on the group of seven and they heard a scream of outrage. They saw a female elf push out of the crowd and marched up to Genis, a look of fury on her face.

She snatched the baby roughly from him and flared. "You half-breed! How dare you lay a hand on my son!"

Genis scowled. "You should've been more careful then I wouldn't have had to return him to you. You should be grateful."

The elf looked like she was about to retaliate but was cut off by Raine who had an expression of calm authority on her face. "Enough! You have your son back so leave my brother alone."

The baby started crying again so the mother elf just glared at Raine before going back to tend to him. Raine glanced down at her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked like he was fairing all right, but his eyes said the complete opposite.

Presea stared on sadly for them but noticed one of the elves coming forward. "The elder approaches."

Everyone looked up, the elves standing in respect as well as the heroes. "What brings you to our village?" The elder asked.

"We are on a journey to find the Elemental Crests, which will help us save the world from the oncoming disaster. Our piece of the map told us to come here." Raine explained.

The elder frowned. "What is the disaster you speak of?"

Sheena pointed to the day sky at the red dot. "The Sithom Comet has broken through the orbit and is going to destroy the earth."

The elder's expression did not change so Lloyd continued on. "We're looking for Toryunga Forest and the map told us to look here."

"Toryunga Forest is off limits to all non-elvens." He stated.

"What! You can't be serious!" Zelos shouted. "After all the times we've saved your butts, you can't even let us into your stupid secret forest!"

"But we need to get the Elemental Crests to save the world!" Colette cried.

"Toryunga Forest is off limits to all non-elvens." The elder repeated.

"I can't believe this!" Genis slapped his forehead. "It's just because Raine and I are here, isn't it?"

The elder said nothing.

"Even if you don't allow, we'll search this place top to bottom anyway!" Lloyd smirked. "We're here to save Symphonia, and we won't let you stand in our way."

The elder finally sighed. "Even if I were to allow it, there's no way to access it."

"What do you mean?" Presea asked.

"The key was lost long ago. Without it, no one can access Toryunga Forest." The elder turned away from the group and started towards his house. "If you can find it, I may consider letting to into Toryunga Forest."

The heroes were baffled for the moment, new hope starting to rise. But then something came to their minds…

"Where do we start looking?" Sheena answered their thoughts.

"This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack…" Raine muttered.

The elves all started going back to their houses now that the danger was gone, shoving past the group as they went by. When they had all dispersed, only they were left.

"Geez, they're pushy…" Genis muttered.

"Hey, what's that in your sash, Genis?" Lloyd asked, pointing at the piece of paper that was sticking out of Genis' waistband.

Genis looked just as confused as Lloyd was as he took out the paper, unfolded it and read it out loud since it was written in elvish.

"**So you're** **looking for the key to Toryunga Forest, huh? I'll have you know that I have it and won't give it up without a price! Come to the Heimdall Park and we can settle things there.**"

Raine examined the note. "It must've been given by someone in the group of elves who passed us by because I'm positive this note wasn't there before."

"Ugh, I wonder what they could possibly want…" Zelos groaned.

"We won't know until we get there." Presea said.

"You're right, Presea!" Lloyd grinned. "For all we know, we could have what this guy wants on us right now! Let's go and get that key!"

With that, they all began to walk to the park where familiar elf was standing waiting.

Genis' eyes widened when boy elf had finally clicked in his mind. "It's you! You're the apprentice of that sensei who taught me Meteor Storm."

The elf grinned. "Correct, Genis. I believe I never told you my name, it's Rom."

"You're the one who has the key?" Colette asked.

Rom reached into his pocket and withdrew a key on a ring and spun it on his finger playfully. "You better believe it! My sensei told me to hold onto it for him because he wanted me to think of it as a 'test'." He turned his attention back to the party. "So, of course I'm not just going to hand this over."

"Name your game, kid." Zelos snapped.

Rom pointed his finger at Genis. "You promised to fight me after the World Regeneration but you never did. I would like to fight you right here, right now, Genis Sage!"

Genis smirked. "I had a feeling that was going to be the case. If I win, we'll get the key?"

"Of course. I'm an elf of my word. But if I win, I get to keep your best weapon." Rom jeered.

A few gasped at this.

"Deal." Genis said as he whipped out his staff and stuck the end into the ground, the small-feathered wings sprouting from the base of the head.

"Genis, are you sure you want to do this?" Raine asked her brother.

"Positive." Genis stated, never looking back.

Rom unhooked a strap above his left shoulder, which released an embroidered mythrill bow and grabbed an arrow from the quiver also strapped on his back. The arrowhead looked solid and dangerously sharp.

"You're a Striker?" Genis asked curiously.

"Don't worry; I'm still a Mage like you. I just chose a Strike weapon." Rom said as he armed his bow and aimed the arrow at Genis, just between the eyes. "And I'm deadly accurate." He released the arrow.

Genis simply sidestepped but sensed something odd about the arrow and dove out of the way instead. The party separated just as the arrow hit where they were standing before.

The sorcerer rose and glared at his opponent. "I see, so you use mana to direct the arrow straight for your enemy." He felt the red liquid drip from the slice across his left cheek.

"You're only reading a part of it." Rom re-equipped himself with three more arrows. "You have no clue what I can really do."

He released those arrows, each aiming for the same target. Genis swatted aside the arrows by spinning his staff then summoned his mana for an attack.

"AIR THRUST!" He shouted and the air currents surrounding Rom picked up speed till they were razor sharp.

The elf easily evaded the attack. "You're going to use pathetic attacks like that against me? You're as good as beaten if you keep that up!"

Rom hopped up into a nearby tree and began a rapid-fire of arrows. Genis stepped back to avoid the onslaught then ran out of space and dove off to the right.

"Come on Genis! You've got to fight back!" Lloyd shouted from the sidelines.

"Easier said then done, Lloyd!" Genis snapped back before he condensed the mana around him into a green shield supported by his hands. "FORCE FIELD!"

An arrow connected with the shield and sent a jolt through Genis' body that made him yelp and release the shield. Another arrow struck his left shoulder, not very deep, and sent another jolt but this time intensified enough to make him scream. He barely heard the others cry out his name with his ears ringing. The shock died out enough for Genis to gain the strength to pull out the arrow.

"Wh-what was th-th-that?" He managed to stutter out.

"I told you I still had Mage in me!" Rom laughed from the tree. "Seeing as my element is electricity, I can infuse my arrows with a small amount of my mana to send a high voltage shock to my opponent. But that's only a taste what you felt."

"But you made a big mistake, Rom!" Sheena called out. "You told him what your element was so now he can counter with water attacks!"

Rom laughed. "I don't think he'll be able to do that, seeing as I've almost paralyzed his entire body!" He turned his attention back to the jittery Genis. "Ready to give up?"

Genis smirked. "No way… I know your weakness and I'm not about to let a little twitchiness get in the way of defeating you!"

"You're worried about twitching? Hell, you're whole body is going to be having spasms when I'm done with you!" Rom let another set of arrows fly.

Unable to defend himself, the half elf rolled out of the way of the barrage and started running, clutching his pierced shoulder at the same time.

"Professor, we have to help him!" Colette pleaded to Raine.

Raine could only stare helplessly as her brother dodged the arrows. "There's… nothing we can do. Rom chose the battlegrounds to his advantage so that Genis doesn't have anywhere to hide. He can't get close either because he'll be shot down even easier. If he tries to cast, he'll be hit while he's trying to concentrate." She closed her eyes. "I'm afraid Genis might-"

"NO!" The Professor was cut off by Lloyd's outburst. "Genis can win! He's tougher than that!" He looked her in the eyes. "I believe in him!"

"Chances of Genis winning: five percent…" Presea said gravely.

"The kid's tough, he'll pull through." Zelos said crossing his arms. "Otherwise we'll have to take the key by force."

Sheena flared at the redhead. "You're horrible! You've already set up a plan incase he loses!"

Zelos frowned. "Well the odds are against him. We'll just have to see what the squirt can dish out."

Back in the battle, Genis had paused for a moment and put up his Force Field again, enduring the electric pain. He was scrambling in his mind for any sort of plan, anything he could do to attack. He could only come up with one plan though, and he didn't like it. He let down his shield.

Rom looked perplexed for a moment. "What, are you finally going to admit defeat?"

Genis raised his staff out in front of him and concentrated on a spell, a light blue spell circle surrounding his feet.

The elf laughed. "You're a fool!" He armed himself with another arrow and took aim.

"That-that moron! What the hell does he think he's doing!" Zelos cried out.

"He's a sitting duck like that!" Sheena shouted.

Rom had released the arrow and it flew through the air straight at its target.

"GENIS!" Lloyd and Raine gasped.

At the last second, the young sorcerer moved his staff in the way to intercept the arrow, which crackled and sparked against it. His staff, being an obvious conductor, transferred the electric mana straight into his body causing him to cry out. Genis desperately held onto his staff and didn't release his concentration, gritting his teeth in agony.

"F-Form a t-torrential vort-tex to engulf t-the e-evil sp-spirits…" Genis raised his staff in the air with all his might. "TIDAL WAVE!"

Water materialized from all sides around Rom, who was still in disbelief that Genis actually endured the pain long enough to cast. By the time he realized what was going on, the water had engulfed him completely, the force sending him to the ground in the middle of all his missed shots. Genis grinned weakly as he panted and sat on one knee.

"He did it!" Lloyd laughed triumphantly throwing his fist in the air. "I knew he could!"

Sheena and Colette also cheered merrily and Presea smiled. But Raine or Zelos didn't look quite as happy.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Lloyd asked before he heard laughing fill the air. "It... couldn't be..."

Rom was getting up from the ground laughing as he re-equipped himself with his bow and arrows. "I'm not quite done yet."

Genis frowned. "So that wasn't enough?"

Rom smirked at the sorcerer. "You've fallen into my trap."

"What trap?"

"I've been missing you with my shots on purpose. Notice the formation my arrows form?" Rom asked.

Genis looked down and examined the battlefield. His breath hitched once he realized what Rom was talking about. The arrows were arranged in the shape of a spell circle with a complicated design in the center splaying out. Rom stood in the very center of it while he was a little away from the edge.

"What are you going to do with this?" The half elf asked, struggling to catch his breath.

Rom held out his bow alone and closed his eyes. "I'm going to summon one of the best spells the old man taught me." After that he began chanting slowly in elven.

"What's he up to?" Zelos raised an eyebrow.

"A storm approaches." Presea informed.

They all looked up. Indeed the sky was darkening and thunder could be heard, as well as the crashes of lightning. Rain began to fall and instantly drenched anyone standing without cover. The wind had also picked up which was chilly to the bone.

"Is this Rom's work?" Sheena asked fearfully.

"I believe it is." Raine answered eyes wide in fright for her brother. "Rom is concentrating for a big attack!"

Rom's eyes shot open and he lifted his hand, unoccupied by the bow, to the air. The sky crackled with lightning and thunder boomed causing some of the elves that had been watching in the background to run away in fright. Exhausted from being electrocuted half to death, Genis slowly stood up and prepared himself for the worst.

As Rom charged up his attack, he began to speak. "You won't survive this attack. Give up now and you'll be saving yourself from a hell of a lot of pain."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Genis laughed. "The answer is still no!"

"Heh, stubborn till the end."

Lightning struck from the sky, careening towards Rom's open palm. It connected and electricity crackled through all the arrow points around his feet and spread till each arrow was crackling. The air became rough with mana and started to swirl around Rom, becoming darker until it was spiraling upwards. The weather mixed with the currents, merging with rain, lightning, and all elements. It suddenly began to suck in anything within range, trees, boulders, and monsters, anything it could rip from the ground.

"TORNADO STORM!" Rom shouted from within the destruction.

The party all gathered and clung to the trees to avoid being sucked in. Genis stuck his staff into the ground and clung for dear life.

"What the hell is that thing!" Lloyd screamed over the noise.

"It's a tornado infused with destructive mana!" Raine shouted. "But it mainly has electricity running through the currents! If Genis comes near that thing, he'll be electrocuted!"

"We have to get in there NOW!" Lloyd shouted and went to run in but was caught by the collar by Zelos.

"Dude! You'll be killed if you even get near that thing!" Zelos protested.

"But so will Genis!" Lloyd snarled.

"DON'T YOU DARE COME IN!" Genis snapped catching everyone off guard. "I got myself in this mess, and I'm going to get myself out of it!"

"Genis…" Raine muttered in disbelief and she became horrified when he began tugging his staff out of the ground. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

"Trust me!" Genis pulled his staff free and released the wings at the base.

Just as he was pulled in by the tornado he mounted the staff and the wings flapped furiously traveling upwards with the current. Raine gasped and could feel a smile creep on her face.

Sheena nearly flipped out when she saw this. "I think the Professor has finally snapped!"

Everyone gave her a strange look. "Professor… We'll help him, don't worry." Colette said.

"He won't be needing help!"

"Professor, I think you need to lay down- OW!" Lloyd clutched his head where he had just been pounded. "What was that for!"

"Lloyd! Don't you remember anything from your studies?" Raine demanded but cooled down. "Never mind, just watch!"

Genis had flown all the way to the top of the tornado where he inspected it. As predicted, it was a hollow funnel and he could barely make out Rom in the center of it all. Soon he began to dive into the abyss straight towards Rom retracting the wings on his staff once he was close enough allowing him to freefall the rest of the way. Rom was too caught up in the spell to even notice Genis till it was too late. The sorcerer held his staff over his head and struck downwards right onto Rom's skull. There was a sickening crunch and everything started to slow down. The tornado slowly started to fade away, trees of the forest becoming visible. The elvens started to descend to the ground where everyone was waiting. The sky became brighter and the sun shined through the clouds, which were separating. Once they landed to Genis' complete surprise, a Piku crawled out of Rom's neck. He frowned and smashed it underneath his boot, ending the battle, Genis Sage being the victor.

The rest came cheering loudly and gathered around him. "You did it, Genis! I knew you could!" That was Lloyd.

"You're amazing!" That cheerful voice had to be Colette.

"Well done, Genis." That voice was the one who made him fall head over heels, Presea.

The rest were just a slur of voices, he couldn't even make out his own sister's as his vision became blurry and he felt himself falling forward into someone's orange arms. Raine. Then he blacked out.

* * *

**Aisu:** Yay for Genis! He beat the elf guy from the sidequest! Bah, I wanted to use Meteor Storm in there somewhere but couldn't manage it. Plus, I don't remember if he had a name in the game, so I just named the kid Rom. Woo... 

As of right now, I am in Writer's Block for Chapter 14 of ToH. GAH! I hate that! -.-; So in the mean time, I'll be working on Tales of Insanity which I started forwhenever this problem occurs. Every so often, I'll try to force myself to work on ToH, but I'll be making more chapters for ToI since it's shorter and simpler. So expect more insanity in the future! But since I''m like nine chapters ahead, **I'll submit some ToH ONCE A WEEK**. I want to reduce the stress load. ToI will be submitted whenever I feel like it. There're no real cliffhangers so it should be fine.

Till next time, please leave a review! I always like to hear what you think of this fic! Toryunga Forest and suspense next chapter! The party gets into a bit of trouble...


	6. Earth Crest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Bleh... It reached 34 degrees today. You can just call me Mizu now. XD; (Aisu means ice in Japanese and Mizu means water just in case you don't know. ;D)

This took longer than expected to get up, not just because it was hot as hell, but because my brother was doing a project. It's HIS computer I'm using so I can't exactly kick him off justso I can update a story. But that was alright because our computer room was hotter than it was outside.

I'd like to thank **ShadowChocobo**, **Kitsu Kurasei** and **ShadowofUndine** for reviewing my last chapter! You guys rule! And thank you all for taking a little time to read my story. It makes writing it worth it.

Big chapter with plenty to read. 5620 words! Woo! A big fight scene, some suspense, some humor, and a little bit of everything. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: Earth Crest  


Immediately after the battle, Raine had taken care of her brother's serious wounds. Seeing as they weren't allowed to use the facilities, she had to work out in the open, ignoring the elves' glares. Genis wasn't hurt too badly, he was just exhausted, but his body was temporarily paralyzed from all the intake of electricity. Raine could only take care of that once he woke up. Meanwhile, all the others had left to see the elder, assured that the half elf would be fine. Rom had been taken away by his sensei once he came by, but they remembered to take the key from him first.

"We've found the key." Lloyd said, twirling the key around on his finger like Rom had. "We had to fight one of your people to get it though."

The elder stared at them all for a moment, noticing the two half elves absent, then walked away.

"Hey! What's the big idea!" Sheena demanded, outraged.

"This way." The elder said without looking back.

The party of five stared at each other confused before following. The elven leader led them all to the lone windmill nearby his home.

"Why are we here? Last time I checked, this thing was completely useless." Zelos thought out loud as they approached a door on the side of the windmill.

"This door is the entrance to Toryunga Forest." The elder explained. "As the Ex-Chosen had just said, this windmill was completely useless. That was until you found the key."

"This is great! We can go back and get the Professor and Genis then we can go." Colette beamed.

"Heed my warning." The elder said carefully. "Those who are not elven most often disappear and are never seen again. Even grand warriors disappear."

"Well that's a comforting thought." Zelos muttered sarcastically.

"How do they disappear?" Lloyd asked.

"I am unsure. We have only found bones with the flesh stripped clean off of them. As much as I dislike the idea, I think the half elves would be helpful because they have elven in them so they might be spared." He said.

"We will survive." Presea said. "We have faced difficult trials before."

"If you insist." The leader went to leave but paused. "Just remember, Toryunga in old-age elvish means; silent." He then took his leave.

There was an unnerving silence that followed.

"This… sounds like it'll be difficult." Sheena chuckled nervously.

"Hey! I can see the Professor and Genis coming!" Colette announced and waved the two half elves over.

Genis was awake, but Raine had his arm wrapped around her shoulder even though he insisted that he could walk. "So this is the entrance?" Raine asked.

"Yep." Lloyd said and stared at the door. "The elder said that anybody who was non-elven has been killed by something in the forest. But since you two have elven in your blood, you may be able to help us and not be attacked." He began spinning the keys again. "The last thing he told us was that Toryunga means silent in elvish."

Genis frowned. "From the way you said it, it sounds like he was trying to hide something from us."

"Well the geezer probably won't tell us anything more." Zelos pointed out bitterly.

"So we have no choice." Presea said and stared at the door. "We must continue our quest."

Lloyd stopped twirling the keys, stuck it into the keyhole and twisted. There was a clicking noise, indicating it was unlocked, and the door swung open revealing a long path of stairs heading underground. After a mini argument between the siblings, Raine let go of Genis and went first followed by Lloyd and the rest of the girls. Zelos and Genis took up the rear, ready to cast if any problems occurred, and shut the door behind them. The tunnel was dark and long, and they all had to keep their senses alert incase of any danger. After a five-minute walk, unknown light could be seen but perplexed them since they were underground after all. It turned out that fireflies were illuminating the forest giving off green and yellow star-like hues. The trees were tall and lush surprisingly and everything around them seemed to be and smell healthy and fresh.

"Colette, could you open your wings so that we can see better?" Raine asked.

"Of course!" She chirped and her pink glowing wings sprouted from her back, causing the forest to get a lot brighter.

The inner trail of the forest looked a lot more uninviting now that they could see it. The branches reached out like crippled arms ready to grab anyone who walked by and the leaves were withered.

"I… don't like the look of this…" Sheena said slightly unsure.

"I don't blame you." Lloyd muttered back.

"It reminds me of Gaorrachia Forest… and Ozette…" Presea said sadly.

"Yeah, but we at least had patches of light there. We have nothing here." Genis pointed out.

"Ugh… let's just get this over with. This place just radiates with creepiness." Zelos stated.

"We have to find a crest." Raine explained. "Apparently there's a temple in this forest and we may have to fight a Guardian." She examined the trees around them. "Lloyd, slash that tree with your sword."

"Huh? What for?" He asked.

"It's to mark a path incase we get lost. We'll just follow the trail of slashed trees to get back."

"Oh… I knew that!" Lloyd did as he was told and slashed the tree, leaving a visible mark.

"We should go now." Raine said calmly but clearly she was nervous as well.

Everyone in the party followed hesitantly. Raine and Lloyd went in the front of the line, marking trees along the way. Colette and Sheena came up next, Colette lighting the way with her wings. Presea, Genis and Zelos were ready for action in the rear. If need be, Presea and Zelos would back up Genis in his weakened state. The gnarled trees stared at them as they passed, each highlighted by pink and green from the fireflies and Colette's wings. Seeing as everyone was downhearted like him, Zelos decided to lighten the mood with jokes.

((Play along if you want! Just remember to read the riddle ONCE. If you read it again, you'll figure it out too quickly. ;D ))

"There's a one-story house and it's all blue. The walls, the ceiling, the floors, EVERYTHING was blue. So then what color were the stairs?"

((Don't read further unless you want the answer.))

"Uh, aren't they blue too?" Lloyd asked joining in.

Zelos snickered.

"Yeah Zelos!" Colette added. "You said the whole house was blue."

Genis rolled his eyes. Clearly he knew the answer.

"Oh! So then it's another color then?" Colette asked excitedly, thinking she was getting warmer.

Zelos' snickers became louder. Sheena smacked her forehead once she realized the answer. Raine was too caught up in her watch to participate in the silly game.

"Are they a different shade of blue?" Lloyd guessed.

Now Zelos was just cracking up laughing.

"It is a one-story building. No stairs detected." Presea answered in her regular monotone voice.

Zelos wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "You're correct, my Little Rosebud!"

"Oh! Good job, Presea! That was a tricky riddle." Colette praised.

"Eh… I knew it all along." Lloyd scoffed.

"Sure you did…" Genis muttered.

"I heard that!"

"Would you all quiet down! We need to focus on the task at hand!" Raine snapped causing them all to shut up. "And Lloyd, when was the last time you marked a tree?"

"Um…" Lloyd went pale in realizing he had been a little too caught up in the riddle to remember to mark any trees.

Raine sighed in exasperation. She didn't say anything further because she didn't want to frighten the rest, so she made Lloyd mark the rest of the trees from then on out. They went on in silence, Zelos too afraid the Professor would snap at him again if he made another joke, but the longer they walked, the more lost they became till they couldn't walk anymore.

"Professor, I think we should take a break." Lloyd dared to suggest. "We've been walking aimlessly for hours and we're getting nowhere fast."

Raine paused and thought about the idea for a moment. Rest did sound like a good idea. She heard everybody's, including hers, stomachs growling simultaneously.

"Alright then. We'll break for a half an hour to eat and rest." She ordered.

So they all sat around the fire they had prepared and Genis began making some stew for them all. Despite the horrifying woods around them, they all managed to talk happily to each other, complimenting on the food or just joking around. It was all they could do. Soon they packed up and headed on their way again.

"I'm surprised." Sheena said. "I thought we were all going to be attacked right as soon as we entered this creepy place, but so far… nothing."

"I've been thinking about that too." Zelos said. "But then I decided not to."

Sheena whacked him on the back of the head.

"It's so quiet though." Colette said shivering. "It's almost like we're being devoured by the silence rather than monsters…" She went up to Lloyd for comfort.

_Screeeeeeeeeeee…_

Lloyd looked from side to side. "Um… do any of you hear a low screeching sound?"

"No Lloyd, it's your imagination. Stop scaring everyone!" Raine snapped. _  
_  
"No. I hear it too." Sheena's eyes widened. "It's getting louder."

Genis stared up at her. "What is? I don't hear anything." He glanced at Presea, seeing that even she looked terrified.

They all stopped. The half elves listened carefully but could hear nothing. But apparently the others could hear a screeching noise getting louder by the second.

_Screeeeeeeeeeee…_

"It's… coming from all around us…" Zelos squeaked. _  
_  
"They're surrounding us!" Colette whimpered, tears in her eyes.

Lloyd backed away, looking every which way frantically. "We're trapped… We're going to die…" He kept on repeating the same thing over and over again, Raine trying to calm him to no avail, when he suddenly clutched his throat. "Oh Goddess I can't breathe! I can't freaking breathe!"

Raine, now starting to get freaked out, clutched Lloyd's shoulders and stared at him straight in the eyes. It pained her to see such a strong warrior like Lloyd panicking himself into hyperventilation. "LLOYD IRVING CALM DOWN!" That didn't seem to work much. "Listen to me, you're going to pass out if you keep this up. You need to. Calm. Down. Breathe."

"I CAN'T!" He screamed hysterically, tears flowing from his wide eyes, which looked like they could pop right out if they got any wider. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"BREATHE!"

"I CAN'T!"

"Lloyd, I am very close to smacking you right now." Raine gritted her teeth.

She looked up from Lloyd to see how her brother was doing with the rest. They had all worked themselves up and Genis was pretty much begging them all to calm down by now. Presea was currently in his arms and Sheena and Zelos were covering their ears, trying in vain to block out whatever it was that was tearing them all apart. Colette had thrown herself onto Raine, since she seemed to be the motherly type to sooth a child in need.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeee…_

"IT'S HERE!" Lloyd shrieked and buried his face into Raine's jacket. "Make it go away!" She heard him say muffled from her jacket, warm tears seeping through to her skin.

"Professor…" Colette whimpered.

Raine was now getting a little desperate. They could all hear some kind of screeching noise, but she or her brother couldn't, and now they were getting anxious and over reactive.

"No Zelos! Don't do it!" Raine looked back at Genis' side and saw something that made her eyes widen.

Zelos had his Excalibur unsheathed and was trying to stab himself in the abdomen. Genis left Presea and was trying with all his might to hold back his sword hand from making the fatal blow.

"Zelos! What the hell are you trying to pull!" Raine shouted, swearing out loud for probably the first time in her life, and marched over, leaving Lloyd and Colette to find comfort in each other.

He looked up at the Professor with a maniacal grin. "If I don't kill myself first… They will… I don't want them to kill me first… So I will…"_  
_

_SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…_

Zelos froze; his face had terror written all over it. With a shaky hand, he pulled his sword away slightly and went in for the kill. A horrible sound filled the air followed by a thump. Zelos now lay on the ground motionlessly and Raine towering over him shaking uncontrollably. She had her staff out and had just knocked him out cold.

Genis stared at his sister wide-eyed. "Raine… You just-"

"I know!" She covered her face with her hand trying to hide the shame. "I panicked! We should avoid doing this and find the perpetrator now!" She lit her Crystal Staff so that it illuminated a lot more of the forest than the weak glow Colette was giving off at the moment. "They kept on saying that 'they' were here. Stay here while I search the area."

Genis frowned at her but nodded in confirmation. He went back over to Presea to take care of her broken soul since he had abruptly put her aside to stop Zelos from attempting suicide. Raine disappeared off into the woods and scanned the area for any form of life. Something moving quickly from tree to tree caught her attention and she gave chase. Quickly she realized that she had lost the shadow and gave up running to lean against a nearby tree to catch her breath. She shrieked and jumped back though when she saw the toothy grin staring emptily back at her.

It was a skeleton. Not just one, but dozens of bones and bodies strewn across the area. She went for a closer inspection, ignoring the creepy crawlies and maggots, and touched the smooth skull with her slender fingers. Judging by the skull's shape and specific characteristics, they had been human, but something else perplexed her.

"It's completely clean." She whispered to herself. "No flesh or a single drop of blood, just sucked clean…"

She realized she had gotten too close and pulled back, noticing a strange substance clinging from her jacket and to the skeleton, which was wrapped in it. She touched it and felt the silky substance cling to her fingers. If they all hadn't been in such a dire situation, she would've gone into ruin-mode and fawned over it for hours on end. Raine decided to go back to see how her brother was doing when she realized something.

"Where IS camp?"

"AHH!"

Her head shot in the direction of the cries and immediately ran, never stopping. She arrived at the path to find everything in disarray. Her friends were as she left them, Lloyd and Colette next to each other, Sheena was trying to block out the 'sound', Zelos was still out cold but Presea was alone again. The horrifying thing was that everyone was wrapped up in that same silky substance just as the skeletons had. Looking around for her brother, she found Genis, bound by one arm pinned to his side and one leg, by the same stuff but struggling against an unknown force. Raine ran up and sliced the silk threads, the recoil causing Genis to fall back, and caught a glance at the perpetrators before they scurried back.

"Raine! As soon as you left, this weird stuff shot out of nowhere and wrapped up everyone, but I managed to only get half caught and-" He continued on, but Raine only half listened. "What were those things?"

"They're spiders." She stated in a disgusted tone. "We have to free everyone then most likely fight them when they come back."

Genis didn't waste any time and began ripped at the clinging threads that bound Presea who didn't seem to even notice. Raine went to work freeing Lloyd and Colette, who were both stuck to together, by ripping apart the threads with the sharp end of her staff. They looked up at her confused.

"Lloyd, we need your help right now!" Raine said as she worked on freeing Sheena.

"But it's coming to get us…" He whimpered.

"I know you're scared, but there are spiders coming and we need your help fighting."

"Spiders? But what about the other things?"

"You don't have to worry about the 'other things' right now, there are large spiders coming here and we have to kill them all."

"I guess…" Lloyd stood up shakily and drew his swords, clattering as he vibrated.

Raine seemed a bit confused at the fact that Lloyd or the others weren't completely freaking out anymore. Maybe the 'screeching' had gone away. Lloyd suddenly yelped and drew back, shaking uncontrollably. I guess not.

"It's… coming back. Surrounding us…" He stuttered and almost dropped his twin blades.

Raine looked back. "You're strong, Lloyd. You'll do fine!"

"But-"

"They're here!" Genis announced.

At first Raine thought he was going on about the screeching, but a scratching noise told her that the spiders were here. They crawled out of the shadows in large numbers, each a different color and up to their ankles in size. Each bared sharp pincers and a large jewel-like object above their eight eyes.

Fear left Lloyd and was replaced by confusion. "What the…" Raine looked back at him when she heard him speak. "The sound's coming from them? How can something so loud be that small?"

Raine saw that the spider's pincers were apart, like they were trying to screech but could make it out. They also stood hesitant. It was as if they hadn't expected their prey to be moving. Raine finally came to a conclusion in her mind.

"ATTACK THEM, NOW!" She shouted and she, Genis and Lloyd all began to strike at the spiders.

Overwhelmed by their kind being destroyed, they all drew back and scurried away back into the forest. The rest of the party began to come to.

"Are… they gone..?" Sheena asked wearily.

"No enemies detected." Presea informed mechanically.

"What happened?" Colette sat back innocently.

Zelos woke up as well clutching his head. "Ugh… get me the number of that Rheaird that mowed me over…"

"What happened here, Professor?" Lloyd repeated what Colette said.

"You all said you heard a screeching noise and started behaving like frightened children, but neither me or Genis could hear it." Raine crossed her arms and went into a thoughtful stance. "This is just my hypothesis, but those spiders were the ones that caused the noise you all heard. I vaguely remember from a book I read, but elven have special hearing that allows them to hear sounds that even normal humans can't hear. But our ears have a weakness. We are unable to hear certain sound pitches. I can only assume that the spiders were using that pitch and we were unable to hear it. Unfortunately, you all heard it and it must've sent a message to your brain that told you to panic. The spiders came down once you were all in a submissive state and, had Genis or I not have been there, would've eaten you clean of flesh and blood."

That sent a collective shudder through the party.

"I guess that would explain why the elder said that only humans have been devoured by the forest." Sheena muttered.

"That doesn't explain why I have a crusher headache." Zelos whined.

Raine snapped her eyes over to the complaining redhead. "I had to knock you out because you were trying to kill yourself."

"I was trying to kill myself?" Zelos repeated and winced. "I guess I shouldn't be complaining then."

"Then if spiders attacked us, are these webs?" Colette asked as she pulled the sticky webs out of her hair.

"Yes." Raine said. "I don't believe you will face this problem again because once Lloyd figured out it was spiders attacking us, he broke out of the panic-stricken state he had been in."

"Panic-stricken… state?" Lloyd asked.

"It means you were in the worst state of mind. AKA, freaking out the most." Genis explained.

"Me?" Lloyd gaped pointing at himself.

"Forget it. We have to get moving. Or did you forget our prime objective?" Raine asked.

"To save Symphonia once more." Presea stated.

"Yeah… what she said." Zelos moaned.

"Now, we're looking for the temple. Keep a look out for one." Raine ordered and started marching away.

"You mean like that temple?" Presea asked pointing in a direction through the woods.

Raine paused and looked in the said direction. There indeed was a temple standing tall and old. When they all walked closer they could inspect it better. It was indeed very tall and rickety with age. Cobwebs and spider webs linked across the pillars and left it looking very dusty. The entrance was straight in front of them glowing with a strange green hue.

"Well, this is it. The temple to the first Elemental Crest." Lloyd said.

"How fascinating is this structure! It looks like it dates back thousands of years ago!" Raine squealed in her ruin-mode. Now that danger had passed, she felt free to go nuts.

Genis groaned. "Not now, sis. We have to go!" He grabbed her arm and dragged her inside after the others.

It turned out the green hue was coming from emerald flamed torches that hung on the stone walls and lit the way. They walked through the hallway for only a while till they came to a large room filled with webs sticking to the walls and many skeletons. The room had no windows or any other passageways and the Crest was no where in sight.

"Where's the Crest?" Lloyd thought out loud.

"This place appears to be empty." Zelos scowled. "What a waste of effort."

_Fresh meat at last…_

"Enemy sighted!" Presea announced looking at the ceiling.

Everyone else looked up just in time to get out of the way of the falling creature. Once they recovered, they all looked in terror at the creature. It was huge! It had the body of an arachnid, with many intricate designs on its body, but the head and upper body of a male elf. The man had long inky black hair and golden eyes.

"I have not come in contact with the human race in so long. Normally my pets devour them before I get the chance. Oh, how I long for their luscious blood." Its nasal voice cackled as it drooled.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we're here for the Elemental Crest!" Lloyd announced. "You'll have to enjoy the blood you get in hell!"

It cackled with laughter as if Lloyd had just said a hilarious joke. "You dare say that to Ryusei, the Guardian of Toryunga Forest?"

Raine changed the subject. "You look like you're part elf, what happened to you?"

"Normally I would never reveal this, but it'll be no matter since I'll be digesting you all in mere moments." Ryusei stood tall and proud. "I was once an elf child, and despite my parent's warnings, I went into the Toryunga Forest. I soon became lost and was bitten by a cursed spider. That is how I became what I am now!"

"What a sob story." Zelos sighed. "I've read better in tragedy novels."

Ryusei hissed. "You think I tell lies?"

"No. I'm saying you're really annoying." He said smugly with a smirk.

"I'll make you pay for that!" Ryusei roared and swiped one of its six legs at the party of seven. They all jumped out of the way before it connected with the ground and drew their weapons.

Lloyd immediately took his place in the front lines along with Zelos, Presea and Sheena. Colette stayed a little behind them throwing her chakrams while Genis and Raine took their usual spot in the background casting spells. The frontlines went to work hacking at the spider's thick armor trying to find a weakness. The spider-elf merely blocked itself with its iron-like legs and swiped them all away.

"Drown! SPREAD!" Genis cast and a spell circle appeared beneath the arachnid.

Ryusei opened its mouth and out shot thick silky threads that connected to the ceiling so it could swing out of the way before water shot out of the seal. It attempted to squash the half elf but Genis barely jumped out of the way in time. Colette flew in to detract the cursed monster, while Genis got out of the way, and threw her chakrams straight for the man's chest. It moved aside to avoid the rings and had threads shoot out of its mouth once more to envelope the angel. Colette wasn't fast enough to dodge and was knocked back to the ground. Luckily, Lloyd was there to catch her and free her before charging in again.

"GROUND DASHER!" Ryusei screeched and pounded one of its legs into the ground, cracking the earth so that a massive earthquake erupted where Lloyd was standing causing critical damage.

While Raine quickly went to work on Lloyd, Presea ran in, dodging any blows Ryusei was going at her with, and swung her ax several times at its hard shell. "MASS DESTRUCTION!" She stabbed her ax into the ground and stabs of earth struck different spots on the massive arachnid's torso.

"You're going to have to do better than that to defeat me!" Ryusei mocked and spat out a web that stuck Presea to the wall.

"Hunny! We have to go for its elven parts!" Zelos called to Sheena who was dodging by his side.

"Yeah, I know that already!" She snarled back narrowly avoiding a slice to the stomach.

"As soon as my Cool Beauty casts her spell, we'll disappear, get me?" He nodded his head to the side, trying to signal what he was planning.

Zelos had astonished Sheena with his quick thinking, but that only lasted for like a second before she nodded her head in agreement. Zelos stood ready and Sheena ran towards him and leapt. Zelos caught her foot and ricocheted her over the massive arachnid, temporarily distracting it.

"RAY!" Raine cast and lights of the heavens rained down upon the defenseless Ryusei.

It screamed in pain, feeling the lights pierce through its spider torso in one spot and seer its skin.

"It doesn't seem to like the light much!" Raine exclaimed.

"Can you blame it?" Genis laughed. "I wouldn't like light either after being cooped up here for thousands of years."

"Now's not the time, Genis!" Raine scolded as she leapt backwards to avoid Ryusei's wrath.

"Over here, ugly! THUNDER BLADE!" Genis shouted and a giant blade of pure electrified mana rained down on Ryusei, stunning it for a second before the electricity coursed through it. "I want to use a fire spell, but I can't risk it without setting every web in this place on fire. We'd be burned to death."

Lloyd sliced Presea down from the wall and turned his attention back to the fight. "Wait a minute, where's Sheena and Zelos?"

Presea took a quick scan over the room. "Neither detected. Orders?" She replied.

"Gah! They can take care of themselves, let's get back in there!" He said and entered the flurry once more, Presea right behind him.

"Holy wings, I beg of thee to reveal thy glory…" Colette chanted from behind the distracted monster, her pink hued wings enveloping her in light. "ANGEL FEATHERS!"

Her chakrams glowed with the pink of her wings and she launched them at the monster. Ryusei heard her shout and on reflex moved out of the way, only getting several slices along its body, which oozed with green. Enraged, Ryusei swiped her aside with its legs and turned its attention back to the half elves only to find them gone. It felt pain when someone stabbed into the hole in its shell made by Raine. It looked back to see both Lloyd and Presea hacking away at its weakening armor.

"Okay, now it's time to get serious!" Ryusei hissed and climbed up one of the walls Lloyd and Presea could only watch.

The arachnid looked to be chewing something before two of its spider legs and its elf arms reached into its mouth and pulled out a large amount of webbing. The webs were shot from its mouth towards random parts of the room. The five all scattered around the room to avoid being hit, and they didn't. Lloyd leapt backwards on top of a web, expecting to fall through it, but ended up sticking and cursed when he fell, officially making him stuck. His wrists were stuck to the web so he was unable to slash himself free. The rest fell for the same trick as well and couldn't seem to get free.

Ryusei cackled and walked down from the wall approaching Lloyd first. "All the little flies, trapped in my pretty webs." It looked confused for a moment. "Wait a minute, there's only five of you. Oh well, I can get the rest later. For now, I'll have my snack." It began rotating Lloyd around and around like a real spider would its prey, ensnaring him in more webbing.

"Lloyd!" The others cried in vain.

"I've gotcha buddy!" Zelos' voice rang out.

They all looked up to see the redhead freefalling from somewhere up on the ceiling, webs tied around his waist so he wouldn't kill himself in the process. The threads began to stretch, slowing down the velocity he was falling at, till they snapped and he could land safely. He slashed the webs, holding Lloyd captive, apart freeing him then set about freeing the others. Lloyd broke free and slashed at Ryusei's elven chest spraying the green blood everywhere and dealing a great amount of damage. Once everyone was free, Zelos ordered him or her to head for the entrance.

"But where's Sheena?" Lloyd asked, hesitating before leaving.

"She's up there!" Zelos smirked pointing at the roof where on a pillar, if Lloyd squinted, he could just make her out.

"I call upon the Red Giant, the Ruler of Hellfire! Come! EFREET!" Sheena commanded and the devil-like summon spirit materialized before her.

"What is it you ask of me?" Efreet asked.

"I want you to stay here for a moment, while I get down to the ground. When I give you the signal, I want you to start a chain reaction and burn the webs."

"Understood."

Sheena took hold of some webbing that was hanging nearby, and swung down to the ground where she landed nimbly before the two men. She waved over to Efreet then ordered the two to run like hell.

Efreet started a flame and lit the first web, which quickly spread and set the whole temple on fire. Ryusei screamed as it was consumed by the flames and began to dissolve into nothing but charred crust. Efreet left, seeing as his job was completed.

"NO! THE TEMPLE!" Raine screamed once she saw it up in flames.

"It's for your own good, sis…" Genis sighed and patted her shoulder.

Sheena, Lloyd and Zelos ran out of the temple just in time to see Genis get smacked over the head.

"I wasn't talking about the temple!" But she whimpered now that she thought about it. "I was talking about what was in it! The Elemental Crest!" She cried.

Everyone's eyes widened with realization, but Sheena and Zelos continued to grin.

"Is this it?" Zelos asked slyly as he pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a dark emerald colored jewel that was oval and had a gold plate covering the back.

Raine reminisced for a second before snatching it out of Zelos' hand, eyes glittering. "Judging by the book… YES! THIS IS IT! THE EARTH CREST!" Her head shot up. "Where did you find it!"

Zelos scratched the back of his head. "My voluptuous hunny here found it actually. We both knew that we could only truly defeat that thing by setting fire to the webs. After you cast that Ray spell, we both scaled the walls in search of the crest."

Sheena jumped in. "Seeing as the crest wasn't anywhere else, we decided to look on the ceiling. Sure enough, it was there, wrapped in webbing. The stupid Chosen here saw you all in trouble and idiotically jumped down to save you all. Then… well, you know the rest."

"Fantastic!" Raine squealed and stared at the crest, which suddenly started to glow. "What the-"

Light shot out of it in eight streams heading towards each of the members. They engulfed each of the heroes' weapons in light and they started to change hue to a dark shade of emerald, like the crest.

Zelos drew his sword. "Wow, they changed color. Now my sword matches my perfect eyes."

"Not only that, but they also feel a lot stronger!" Lloyd said excitedly. "I can feel new power coursing through me."

"As neat as this is, we need to get out of this forest. We're on a tight schedule, and have to find the other crests." Raine stated.

"Yeah, let's get out of this creepy place." Colette agreed.

"Where is our next destination?" Presea asked as they started walking.

Genis took out the map piece and looked it over.

"Since we decided to go to Frolen Ruins last, so we're headed for Mystic Fountains near Lake Umacy."

"Alright then, Mystic Fountains it is!" Lloyd declared and they began their journey… but then they realized something.

"Which way's the exit?"

* * *

**Aisu:** Yay! One Elemental Crest down and seven to go! 

That little scene between hysterical Lloyd and Raine was a real life experience. I mean, not the whole surrounded by spiders thing, but the words that were used and the actions Lloyd did. Yeah, I understood how Lloyd felt since it happened to me... It was scary. u.u

Next chapter, everyone's on their way to Mystic Fountains, but there's a snag in their plans. Raine's going to have to face her fears sooner or later...

By the way, if you never readthe chapter in my other fic, Tales of Insanity, I have Lloyd's reference picture up for viewing in my profile so now you can have a clearer image of what he looks like! I'm not sure about when I'm going to do the rest though since the heat is unbearable. Just be patient please. Plus I have a small mystery fic being planned. Anyone who loves mystery and suspense can look forward to that too! Details in my profile.

My birthday's on the 26th to anyone who cares. And I'm slowly inching out of my writer's block for Chapter 14.

... I'm a busy girl...


	7. Mystic Fountains

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Me again, ready with a new chapter of Tales of Harmonia! Thank you **ShadowofUndine, doom9 **and **Kitsu Kurasei** for reviewing last chapter! I always appreciate them! I also appreciate the anonymous people who read my story! If any of you ever have any questions in regards to ToH, then feel free to ask. I'll most likely answer them unless they relate to spoilers in the future.

This chapter wasn't beta-read by **DomoKim**, so I had to quickly re-read it and make any alterations myself. I think I rather like this chapter. I don't know why though.

Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Mystic Fountains

After spending three days in almost complete darkness, the heroes of Symphonia burst out of the windmill and were immediately blinded by the light.

"Oh sweet goddess! Who in Efreet's name put that blasted ball of Luna's wrath in the sky!" Zelos wailed as he shaded his eyes from the sun's rays.

"I'm just so happy we're finally out of that creepy forest!" Colette beamed.

It had taken them a while to find their way out, and they couldn't split up due to the limited amount of light, but they eventually found the trail Lloyd had marked with his sword. They came to the part of the trail where Lloyd had forgotten to slash and ended up resting there. They took another few hours scouring the forest before they found the trail once again and followed it to the entrance.

"No kidding." Lloyd sighed.

"I thought we'd never find our way out of there..." Genis added.

"I see you all survived." They all looked up to see the elder approaching. He started down at all their bandaged limbs and faces. "But not without a fight."

"Yeah, we ran into trouble, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle." Sheena said with a weak grin.

Raine dug through her pocket till she extracted the emerald-colored gem, and revealed it to the elder. "We have also found one of the Elemental Crests that we have been searching for. This is the Earth Crest, I believe?"

The elder's eyes widened slightly upon laying his eyes on the crest, but soon returned to normal. "Yes. I haven't seen this crest for five-hundred years…" He looked up. "And the Guardian is…"

"Dead." Presea stated. "The monsters of the forest will be of no threat anymore."

"I see." The elder shut his eyes. "I recommend you all leave as soon as possible-"

"You know, you could be a little grateful for once." Zelos cut him off.

"You didn't let me finish." The elven leader frowned. "I was about to say that I will allow you to all use the facilities here to rest up and replenish your stock. Just this once, I will allow the two half elves to access them." He reopened his sullen eyes. "I wish for you all to be in top shape to save the world. Good luck."

With that said, the elder left them all in a shocked state.

"Was he… just nice to us?" Sheena gasped in disbelief.

"Will wonders never cease…" Genis muttered.

"Well, he gave us a rare offer, and I don't think we should ignore that." Raine mentioned.

"We must rest and be fit for the next battle we may encounter." Presea said.

They all wasted no more time and went straight to the inn where they were all treated by reluctant elves. They didn't feel comfortable helping them but they had direct orders from the elder so they couldn't ignore that. Each party member was treated with care and even had their wounds from earlier treated. Genis got a better treatment for his wounds in the battle with Rom, Presea's roughly healed side was fixed from the battle with Yuan and all the other's scrapes and bruises were taken care of. They took advantage of the facility use as well, buying extra Gels, Bottles and any other necessaries. After a good long rest at the inn, they left Heimdall to get to Lake Umacy, the location of the next Elemental Crest.

"We have everything, don't we?" Colette asked as she revved up her Rheaird.

"I believe we do." Raine said as she checked her wingpack, sitting cross-legged on the seat of her Rheaird. "Healing ointments and herbs, food, Gels, Life Bottles, camp equipment and more stuff…" She plucked out the gem, eyes glittering. "…and I can't forget the Earth Crest."

"Can we get going before I get bored?" Lloyd complained, leaning on his Rheaird beside Raine's.

Raine lifted her now green-tinged staff and whacked Lloyd over the head, even though she was still entranced by the sparkling gem in her possession. "It's all necessary if we're going to survive this journey, Lloyd!"

"Uh, I think I'll be taking that from you, sis. You're getting a little too enthralled with it." Genis said carefully as he snatched the crest from her grip.

Raine's expression turned to that of pure rage as she turned on her little brother. "GENIS! Haven't I taught you anything! You don't take something that isn't yours! It's rude and is absolutely uncalled for!" She approached him and Genis stepped backwards fearfully.

"The Professor's gone mad with power!" Lloyd shouted, still rubbing his head from the lump she inflicted on him. "Somebody grab her!"

"Don't mind if I do!" Zelos grinned happily but was knocked aside by Sheena and Presea who both grabbed Raine's jacket in an attempt to slow her down.

Something strange happened just then. The originally sparkling and shiny jade crest was now fading to a dull, cracked shade in Genis' hands. Everyone could feel a burst of power leave them suddenly and a hissing could be heard coming from their waists. Each looked down to see their weapons were fading back to their original colors.

"What… just happened?" Sheena asked, frozen with a perplexed expression.

"Resulting power loss. Source: Unknown." Presea spoke mechanically.

"It looked like when Genis took the crest from Raine, it faded along with our new power." Colette said.

Sheena stared at the crest. "It looks just like how I found it in the temple."

"Maybe the kid should give it back to my Professor Raine?" Zelos suggested.

Genis looked warily at his sister before holding his arm out as far as possible, open palm holding the crest, as if he was feeding a ferocious animal. Raine scowled and snatched the Earth Crest from his hand. Almost immediately, shine and color was restored to the crest, their weapons returned to their green color and power began to fill them all once more.

"That is strange… it reacts with the Professor's touch." Presea mused.

"Maybe it likes my sense of manners." Raine huffed and glanced in her brother's direction causing him to wince.

"I don't think that has to do with anything." Zelos said, staring in awe at the gem.

"Maybe, it has something to do with your mana patterns?" Colette suggested. "And it dulled because it didn't recognize Genis' mana?"

"At this point, we don't know much of what these crests can do." Sheena said gravely.

"You know what I think?" Lloyd asked, everyone turning their heads to look at Lloyd who was leaning on his Rheaird's handlebars. "I think we need to go! I'm SO bored!"

"In a sad kind of way, I think Lloyd is right." Genis agreed. "We have no time to be fussing over this. The Sithom Comet is getting closer each day and we've only gotten one out of eight crests and we only know where two more of them are. We still have to find the other five."

"Yeah… what he said." Lloyd muttered lazily.

"That would be the best choice." Raine agreed. "Alright. We'll head out immediately."

They all mounted their Rheairds and took off into the sky, drifting along the currents and through the clouds. They could see the vast scenery of Symphonia in all its glory. The tumbling hills, the wide grassy plains, the forests and villages, and if you looked close enough, you could see Noishe running along the plains trying to keep up with them all. He had to stop once they began crossing the sea and find another route to follow them. At this point, Lloyd decided to start goofing off on his Rheaird, doing flips, corkscrews, and even flying upside down.

"Lloyd Irving! Behave yourself on the Rheairds! You could fall into the water below us!" Raine snapped at the boy, subconsciously gripping her handlebars tighter.

"Don't worry, Professor! I can't fall when I've ridden them hundreds of times!" Lloyd laughed cockily and rammed into Zelos' Rheaird playfully.

"Hey!" Zelos protested trying to regain control of his Rheaird before going in to ram Lloyd back.

Unfortunately, Lloyd had pulled up his Rheaird to avoid getting hit and Zelos ended up ramming into Colette. She didn't have as much control as Zelos and ended up descending to the waters below.

"Oh shit! My Little Angel! The Great Zelos is coming to save you!" Zelos cried and dove down after her, followed by everyone else in the party.

"Lloyd! Now do you see what happens when you perform such foolish acts on the Rheairds!" Raine snapped at the red clad boy. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were nine instead of nineteen!"

Lloyd bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Colette once we find her!"

Soon they reached the ocean line and pulled their Rheairds to a stop, just above the water. They found Colette's Rheaird, but no Colette!

"Where is she!" Sheena panicked.

"COLETTE!" Lloyd shouted. "COLETTE WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Hi, Lloyd!" Lloyd yelped in surprise and fell off his Rheaird into the water.

While Lloyd was splashing around, everyone turned around to see Colette, floating with her angel wings, looking just fine, but she was holding a strange girl. She had deep blue hair and light blue skin, wore a green bikini top and the strange thing was that from the waist down was a long scaly green tail. She also appeared to be unconscious.

"Who's that, Colette?" Genis asked.

"I found her floating in the water. I thought she was hurt so I brought her here." Colette explained.

"It's a mermaid." Raine said. "You don't find many of them around anymore."

The girl began to stir in Colette's arms, causing everyone's attention to go to her. She slowly opened her aquamarine eyes before they snapped open and she started to panic.

"HYDROLA!" She screamed and started to struggle in Colette's grip.

"Wait! Calm down!" Colette pleaded and the girl stopped struggling and looked up at her. "We mean you no harm." She continued softly.

"… Meredi?" The mermaid asked. "Is that you..? Your body… what happened to you?"

"Meredi?" Lloyd spluttered as he hoisted his body over his Rheaird's seat. "I don't know who that is, but her name's Colette."

The girl looked stared at Lloyd for a moment, at everyone else in the party, then back at Colette. "You're not, Meredi?"

"No, but who is Meredi?" Colette asked kindly. "And what is your name?"

The mermaid's eyes grew sullen, and she looked disappointed. "Please put me back into the water."

Colette went to put her back but the girl had jumped out of her arms and dove into the water as soon as Colette loosened her grip. Right as soon as she hit the water, she was gone.

"Well that was weird." Sheena said.

"She looked so sad." Presea muttered.

"Yeah, once I said I wasn't Meredi she got really upset." Colette said frowning. "I wonder why?"

"I don't know, but she was pretty hot!" Zelos grinned from ear to ear earning a smack from Sheena, which sent him flying into the water.

"We can't be distracted by this right now; we have to find the next crest." Raine insisted as she revved the Rheaird's engine, ready to go as soon as possible. She was not pleased with the idea of hanging out over the water.

"I guess so. I hope we see her again." Colette said as she flew back on her Rheaird.

It wasn't long before they were all back in the air, flying high over the ocean. Once they reached the other side, they could see Noishe waiting on the edge for them before he starting dashing to Lake Umacy once more. It wasn't long before they came up to the small lake and went in for a landing. As they packed up, Noishe walked up to Lloyd and nudged his shoulder, 'Ha ha I beat you' clearly seen in his eyes.

"Whatever, Noishe. We had to make a stop along the way anyway." Lloyd grumbled and the protozoan simply whined in reply.

After they finished, they all grouped together and listened to Raine speak. "Okay, we'll scout out all around the lake to find the crest. Meet back here if you find anything."

They all saluted in a soldier-like fashion and spread out. They looked in the trees, under rocks, behind bushes, and every time came up with nothing. They searched the area three times over for several hours and still came up with nothing. Hunger began to set in and they all went back to the meeting area and prepared a meal. Sheena decided she would cook and came up with a ramen dish which satisfied them all.

"That was awesome, Sheena, thanks!" Lloyd said while rubbing his full stomach.

The ninja blushed slightly. "It's… not that good. It's the specialty in Mizuho so I decided to make it." She said all flustered.

"And it was awesome!" Lloyd repeated.

Sheena figured she wouldn't win that battle so she just waved it off in her mind as satisfactory.

"Hey guys, I just noticed something." Genis said as he stared at the map. Everyone turned their attention to him. "We've been searching this place forever and have been coming up with nothing, right? So maybe it's not OUTSIDE the lake. The label, 'Mystic Fountains' appears to be right in the middle of the diagram of the lake so..." He looked up seeing his sister cringe in realization at what he was getting at. "Couldn't that mean that Mystic Fountains is IN Lake Umacy?"

Presea rubbed her chin. "That would be most logical. I do not see how a place called Lake Umacy could also be called Mystic Fountains. It must be another hidden temple."

"But how would we find it? We're not fish." Zelos pointed out lazily.

Sheena thought for a moment. "Maybe Undine could help us?"

"It's worth a shot I guess…" Raine groaned not looking forward to going into the water.

Sheena walked up to the water's edge and took out her summoning cards. She spun one in midair and it floated round and round. All the while, she formed a seal with her hands and a blue summoning circle glowed around her feet.

"I call upon the Maiden of the Mist. Come! UNDINE!" Sheena commanded.

Light appeared before her, blindingly. When they could all see past the spot in their vision, they could see Undine standing there proudly, awaiting her orders.

"You called me?" She asked.

"Yes. We wish to reach Mystic Fountains beneath Lake Umacy, but none of us can hold our breath for that long. Is there anyway you could assist us?" The ninja asked with respect.

Undine thought for a moment. "There is." She turned to the water. "Once you jump into the water, my powers will activate, but will only sustain for an hour."

"An hour!" Lloyd gasped. "There's a time limit?"

"Unfortunately, it is only as long as my mana will last at that depth." Undine explained.

Sheena looked back at the party. "What else can we do?"

"It should not take us very long to navigate underwater." Presea pointed out.

"So… what will happen once your mana depletes?" Raine asked wearily.

"My mana will fade and you will be forced to rely on your own lungs." Undine said gravely causing the Professor to squeak in terror.

"We don't have much of a choice." Sheena sighed and turned to Undine. "We'll take it."

"Alright. Your time will start as soon as you enter the water." The summon spirit stated.

"Will you be accompanying us, my sexy water beauty?" Zelos asked flirtatiously.

Undine glared at the redheaded pervert. "Unfortunately, I will. I'll be there to inform you when your time is running out."

"Great!" Sheena said happily. "Let's not waste time then, come on!" With that, she dove right into the water, clothes and all.

The rest followed soon after, diving right in. Well… except for Raine.

"Come on, sis! What happened to all that excitement about finding the Elemental Crest?" Genis asked, tugging Raine's sleeve.

"You know how I am around water." Raine sighed. "Go on without me."

"Would you like me to hold your hand?" Genis asked her like a parent would a child.

That earned him a smack on the head. Genis thought for a moment, rubbing his head where Raine had just smacked him, and then he got an idea.

"Alright, Raine, you win…" He sighed and walked past her in a defeated fashion and slipped his hand into her bag. "Then I guess you won't miss this!" He plucked out the Earth Crest, ignoring the sudden power loss.

Raine's eyes blazed. "GENIS! What did I just yell at you about earlier!" She went to grab him, but he ducked and dashed towards the water.

Raine was too blinded by rage to realize where he was leading her. As he jumped into the water, he threw the crest into the air. Raine dove in to catch it and before she realized it, she was in the water too.

**- X -**

It was hard for her at first. Sheena did trust Undine's words, but she could help but hold her breath. She had her eyes squeezed shut and her lungs felt like they were burning for air. She was forced to release her breath and hope not to inhale water. She did so and too her surprise, she didn't choke. In fact, she could breathe normally, plus she didn't feel very wet. She did jump into the water, didn't she? Sheena slowly opened her eyes revealing that she was in the water and she could see her friends adjusting to the change in front of her as well. They appeared to be surrounded by a transparent substance that covered their entire bodies. She looked down at herself and could see that she was surrounded in it as well. She noticed Undine floating beside her.

"What is this?" Sheena asked.

"You are surrounded in a bubble of mana." Undine explained. "It will provide you with air until time has run out."

Sheena nodded. She saw Lloyd and Colette were swimming freely together, Genis was being throttled by Raine for some particular reason, Presea was getting a head start in finding an entrance to go deeper and… where was Zelos?

"Wow! So that's the hot ass I've been trying to look at all this time!" Sheena scowled and kicked her foot straight into Zelos' face, which was below her.

"I have found an entrance." Presea announced as she swam back from wherever she had been. "There is a small opening in the pile of trees and wood over there."

She pointed near the place that the unicorn had been when half of their party had been to Lake Umacy last. "We might as well not waste time. We have less than an hour to get there and back." Raine sighed, finally quitting on lecturing Genis, whose head was throbbing from the beating.

"Yeah, I don't want to be stuck down there when the bubbles disappear." Colette agreed.

So they began their swim to the bottom of the lake, Presea showing them the entrance and they descended into the blue abyss. The tunnel led to a large cavern colored in shining teal where ruins of an old ancient city lay. Raine almost went nuts but they managed to keep her in line, barely. They split up to search the ruined city for the crest. Though they found no crest, they found many specimens of fish and animals they never knew about before, some ancient books, weapons and even treasure. They left everything as they found it, to preserve the untouched look, and soon met up again.

"Did any of you find anything?" Raine asked.

"Nothing I'm afraid." Presea muttered.

"Sorry." Colette looked down.

"Nadda." Sheena sighed.

"Hey, where are Lloyd and the others?" Colette asked and looked every which way.

"I don't know. They were here just a minute ago." Sheena said surprised.

"Detected." Presea announced and pointed at all three boys swimming towards a temple of sorts.

"Master, you only have fifteen minutes left." Undine informed.

"Thanks. LLOYD! GENIS! ZELOS! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Sheena screamed at the top of her lungs.

The boys continued to swim on as if they hadn't even heard her.

"We'll have to go get them I guess." Raine sighed and began swimming after the boys, followed by the other girls.

They entered the temple which surprisingly had blue torches lit along the hall, much like the Earth Temple. They swam until they reached a room with a large throne in the opposite end. Before the throne was Lloyd, Genis and Zelos, each standing with their heads bowed.

"You stupid boys, we have to go, NOW!" Sheena shouted and took hold of Zelos, but he didn't budge for some reason, like he was bound to the ground. "What the?"

"Lloyd, time's running out." Colette pleaded but he didn't respond. "Lloyd- AHHH!" She shrieked and backed away when she saw Lloyd's face.

Lloyd's eyes looked completely empty, no shine or pupil, just the dull iris. And was shocked her even more was that he had small scales growing out of his face and neck. She looked at the other two to see Raine and Presea were trying to snap Genis out of it and Sheena pleading to Zelos.

"There are tentacles bounding them." Undine stated.

"What?" Sheena cried. "I can't see them!"

"Only those of the aqua race can see them." She said. "They're bounding them in place and forming scales on their skin. This process slowly turns them into one of the aqua race whom have gills through their scales. I am unsure of why they aren't fighting against it though."

Colette began to panic and shook Lloyd's shoulders. "Lloyd! Lloyd snap out of it! We've got to get out of here!" He still didn't respond.

"That would be wise." Undine pointed out. "Once the transformation is complete, it will be permanent and they will never be able to go on land again. The gills will have formed and their lungs will be useless."

_Ah… I see I have more minions in the making…_

The girls all looked up to see a woman coming out from a corridor. She had flowing violet hair and teal skin with shocking red eyes. She was like a mermaid but she had legs and a tail. Her outfit was a deep blue robe that went from her right shoulder and flowed down to cover the rest of her body and had a green waistband. She was also holding a trident in her right hand.

"Men are so stupid. You can manipulate them so easily." She laughed as she approached the party.

"Who are you and what have you done to our friends?" Presea demanded standing in front of the defenseless boys.

She laughed. "I am Hydrola, Guardian of the Sea. That I will give you. I, however, will not answer your other question. I will only say that they are becoming of the sea, my slaves for eternity." She leaned on the top of her throne, the folds of her robe shifting to reveal a dull blue jewel on her chest.

"That's the… Water Crest!" Raine gasped.

"So that's what this precious little gem is called." Hydrola purred as she stroked its jeweled surface. "I found it while I was still living with my two sisters in-" She paused. "I've said too much. Now, as for your fates…" She approached Lloyd's subconscious form and stroked his cheek with her smooth scaly fingers. "I'll let these fine gentlemen take care of that."

"Don't touch him!" Colette shouted and drew her chakrams.

Hydrola's eyes widened before narrowing to mere slits, focused on Colette's battle ready form. "You!" She shot forward and gripped the scruff of Colette's collar. "How did you survive, Meredi! I killed you and watched you die with my very own eyes!"

"Meredi? That mermaid called Colette Meredi too." Sheena thought out loud.

"Put her down!" Presea growled and drew her ax to go in for a blow.

Even with the awkward underwater fighting field, she managed to get in a vertical slice with her ax. Hydrola threw Colette aside and did nothing else, not even move her trident up to defend herself. Still, something intercepted Presea's attack. She looked up to see the offender was in fact Lloyd, his Flamberge drawn to block the attack mere inches from the Guardian's face. He narrowed his cold eyes and took a slice at Presea's stomach with his other Vopal Sword. She avoided the attack clumsily by kicked her legs forward to use the force to move her away. Unable to perform the same maneuver twice, she was forced to use her ax as a shield from Lloyd's multiple parries. Sheena soon joined in; remembering she only had around seven minutes to finish this, while Raine attempted to stop the other two manipulated boys from entering the fray.

"SERPENT SEAL PINION!" Sheena shouted as her cards formed into long purple snake-like streams that delivered some damage to Lloyd.

Presea swam backwards to avoid anymore strikes. Colette had gotten up and was ready to fight, but couldn't bring herself to fight her friends. So she turned on Hydrola herself, swinging her chakrams which sliced through the water. The mermaid stepped to the side avoiding the rings with ease. She snapped her fingers, which caused Zelos to react and lunge at Raine, who threw up her staff in weak defense. While this occurred, Genis began summoning a spell, a green spell circle appearing around his feet which showed he was going for a wind spell. Sheena saw this and calling Colette to help Presea, she went to go help cancel the spell but Zelos got in the way, a malicious smirk on his face. He was stalling them both so that Genis could finish the spell that would most likely finish them!

"Master, you only have one minute." Undine informed gravely.

"NO!" She shrieked as Genis completed the spell.

"Gentle winds, gather before me and transform into waves of air…" He raised his staff straight into the air. "CYCLONE!"

That was it. They couldn't turn back and try again later. It was over. The water currents began to swirl around Genis' staff head and create a giant whirlpool around the room. The girls were all swept along with the movement, bashing painfully against any obstacles, being cut by the mana infused in the whirlpool. It felt like forever till it all stopped. When it did, they all drifted to the ground, almost lifelessly, like ripped up rag dolls. Sheena wanted to cry out with what she heard next.

"I'm sorry, Master, but time is up."

She heard the pop, she felt the wetness of water against her beat up skin, and she could hear Hydrola's maniacal laughter and the sounds ofpillars crashing to the floor. She could feel the water seeping into her lungs as her mouth hung open, bubbles of the last of her air floating away.

It was over.

* * *

**Aisu:** O.O; Oh my... left it at a cliffhanger there... heh. 

I'll update again next Friday, don't worry! I need to make more chapters for ToI and work on chapter 15 of ToH. I had a nice break, but I think it's about time I get back to writing! ... After I play a little more of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I only have it rented for a week after all!

Please leave a review! I always appreciate them!


	8. Water Crest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu: **Crap, I had to upload this twice because I screwed it up the first time. Thank you **Kitsu Kurasei, ShadowofUndine, Star Girl11, Ethereal Thoughts **and **noctepanther** for reviewing last chapter! Each of them really made me smile. :D Along with all the anonymous people who simply read the story!

I... really don't like this chapter. I think I was going through major Writer's Block when I did it. It's just... ugh. I made changes to satisfy myself a bit more, so I'm a bit happier... but still... Maybe you guys will think differently.

Time to get you guys out of the evil cliffhanger from last chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8: Water Crest

"Meredi! Meredi don't die!"

She heard that familiar voice before. But how could she if she was dead? She coughed harshly, draining the sea water out of her system. If she could cough then that probably meant she could breathe. But she died! They were done for back there so how could she be alive? She slowly opened her eyes, blue orbs catching a glance of deep blue hair directly over her as well as blue tinged skin. It was the girl who had called her Meredi back when they were all going over the ocean on their Rheairds. That's when Zelos had run into her by accident. It looked like she was out of the water and on dry rock. She went to say something but it only came out as a gargled cry. The mermaid, who appeared to have been crying, noticed this and helped her up, putting a bowl of water to her lips. She eagerly accepted despite almost drowning in it earlier. She let out another few coughs before searching for her friends. They were all still unconscious, but other mermaids were helping to force the water out of their lungs as well.

"Where… are we..?" Colette managed to croak. "Are… they okay..?"

"You're in Mystic Fountains, the lair of the Aquas." The girl answered. "Your friends will be fine." Colette went to speak again but she cut her off. "Don't speak just yet; our leader, my father, will answer all your questions." She went to leave but Colette made a sound of protest.

"What's your… name?" She asked finally.

"Tereya." With that she dove into the water which left Colette alone to examine her surroundings.

She and her friends were in a cave of some sort, on an isolated platform of rock. The rest of the cave was surrounded by crystal clear water. She could see dozens of mermaids busily swimming about, building and nurturing the young. There were even some mermen but they had legs and, like Hydrola, a tail sprouting from behind. Something caught her attention though. It was a picture of a beautiful mermaid with long golden hair wearing a white, with purple lining, robe, and had pale pink skin, bright blue eyes and a pink tail.

"_She… looks a lot like me!"_ Colette thought in surprise.

The angel noticed that the rest of the mermaids helping them had left and her friends finally stirring. Colette found the strength to crawl up to them and help give them water like Tereya had for her.

"I thought… we were done for…" Raine muttered sadly, the memory of her own brother turning against them still fresh in her mind.

"We have to save them." Presea said determinedly as she moved to get up.

"Wait, Presea!" Colette protested. "Tereya said she was bringing her father to see us!"

"Who's Tereya? And where the heck are we anyway?" Sheena groaned rubbing her head.

"Tereya's the mermaid we found while we were crossing the ocean before. As for where we are," Colette looked around. "We're in Mystic Fountains but I don't know where…"

At that moment, Tereya returned but this time with a large, strong looking merman. He had flowing white and beard with a spiked blue crown above his brow; his body covered by a white robe secured at his shoulder. He had piercing emerald eyes, teal skin and a larger red trident than the one that Hydrola had.

"I am Triton, Lord of the Waters." Triton declared proudly as he stared down at the women before him. "What brings you our lair?"

Raine decided she would answer. "Lord Triton, we came to seek out the Elemental Crest along with three more of our party. We used the powers of the summon spirit Undine to reach here."

"You have all fought with Hydrola I see." He said gravely.

"She also captured the rest out our friends and turned them against us." She replied sadly.

Triton frowned. "Were they of the male race?"

Sheena's head snapped up. "Yeah, why does that matter?"

"They were manipulated by Hydrola's Song."

"What is Hydrola's Song?" Presea asked. "We heard nothing while we were there."

"You didn't, but the males did. The Song only affects males, which lures them to her temple where they are turned into her slaves." Triton explained.

"Then we're too late…" Colette looked down. "Lloyd, Genis and Zelos will never be able to leave…"

The Lord of Waters stared down at Colette, his eyes showed clear shock. "You… look just like Meredi…"

"Okay, I'm getting tired of hearing Colette being called Meredi." Sheena stood up in frustration. "Just who the heck is this Meredi!"

Triton waved his hand towards the painting Colette had noticed earlier. "That is Meredi, my beloved daughter who was murdered at the hands of her own sister, Hydrola."

Everyone was awestruck by the painting and his words. Colette really did look a lot like Meredi. And to find out she had been killed by her own sister, her family and own blood… it was far too much to handle. Tereya eyes grew sullen at the mention of her sisters' names.

"No wonder you kept confusing Colette for her." Presea muttered.

"Tereya is the only family I have left now besides my wife… and Hydrola who was exiled from here." Triton said hugging his daughter with his free arm. "She has been leading the attacks against Hydrola for a while now with a few of our people each time. She had gone again when she found you all on the brink of drowning. She and her companions managed to get you all out just in time."

"That explains how we survived." Raine sighed in relief.

"What about our friends? They should've drowned with the rest of us since the mana bubbles disappeared." Presea pointed out.

"Not necessarily. The transformation is quick so they would've developed gills by then." Triton said.

"Then… they're stuck here..?" Colette muttered, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"The full transformation is not complete till three days." Triton smiled warmly. "You can still save them till then."

Colette's face lit up as well as the others. "You mean it? We can save them?"

Triton nodded and Tereya smiled lightly. All the girls just wanted to up and bear hug them at that moment.

"You mentioned the Elemental Crest?" Triton changed the subject.

"Yes, Hydrola currently wields it." Raine said.

"The Water Crest has been in our family for generations. Hydrola stole it when she was exiled from this land for killing Meredi. After that, she destroyed the original Mystic Fountains out of revenge so we were forced to move here. That is the ruined city you saw once you arrived. What is it you need the crest for?" Triton asked.

"The Sithom Comet is going to wipe out Symphonia. We're going to use the Elemental Crests to amplify our power and destroy the comet before it reaches Symphonia." Presea explained.

"I see." Triton thought for a moment. "Then I believe we have to prepare you all for battle along with several of our people."

"I don't think Hydrola will be defeated easily. Undine's power won't be able to sustain for longer than an hour so we'll just end up drowning like we almost did before." Sheena frowned.

"Take this then." Tereya said and revealed a tiny bottle with a clear liquid contained within it.

Raine took it from her and stared at it. "What is it?"

"It's a Mermaid's Tear. A small drop will adjust your lungs to be able to breathe underwater for at least a day." She explained.

"Wow." Sheena awed staring at the contents.

"Now I shall retrieve two of my people to accompany you and my daughter." Triton declared and was about to leave when Colette cried out.

"You're underestimating our friends! Lloyd is the Eternal Swordsman who saved Symphonia two years ago!"

"My brother is an Elemental Sorcerer and a very skilled one at that." Raine added.

"And Zelos is… Zelos!" Sheena added for good measure.

"If we're going to stop Hydrola's Song, then we need to go for the source." Presea stated. "Each of our friends will need at least one or two of you to stop each of them. We will fight Hydrola to stop her Song and avoid any casualties."

"Alright then, I'll send five." With that Triton was gone.

"But we're still at a disadvantage. None of us can fight very well when we swim in water." Raine said.

"I believe I can help you with that too." Tereya said. "We could tie some heavy rocks to your feet. That way you'll be able to move but you won't float."

"Good idea!" Sheena praised before turning her attention back to the bottle in Raine's hand. "And how do we use the Mermaid's Tear?"

"Oh, it's simple! There's a dropper under the cap and you put a drop into the back of your throat. It's strong so when you inhale, the scent will reach your lungs and the transformation will begin. It should work almost instantly." Tereya explained.

Raine passed the bottle to someone else, not wanting to be the first to go back into the wretched water. Sheena, clearly fascinated by the liquid, took it first and unscrewed the cap. She did as she was instructed and put a drop into the back of her throat. The moment she took her first breath, it caused her to go into a coughing fit.

"Don't worry, it's normal. Her lungs are adjusting at the moment. Just get her into the water." Tereya commanded.

They did as told and helped Sheena drop into the water. She stayed under for a few moments before giving the rest a big thumbs up.

"Okay, who will go next?"

Soon they were all submerged and preparing themselves. Colette and Presea had their weapons sharpened, they were run through a battle plan and then they had their shoes tied to rocks, which helped greatly. Colette didn't need to have rocks tied to her shoes though because she said she could fly fairly well underwater. Tereya left them earlier saying she needed to suit up for combat. The four all began sparring with each other to get used to the battling environment and eventually Triton returned with six mermaids, Tereya being one of them. They wore heavy blue armor, which flared out at certain areas, and each wielded a long trident.

"These lovely ladies will be accompanying you into battle as you requested, including Tereya." Triton grinned as they all formed a straight line.

"Are we prepared for battle?" Tereya asked.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be." Colette said.

"Okay, you may leave at any time you like. Good luck." Triton saluted and the mermaids mimicked the action. Not wanting to be out of the loop, the female heroes of Symphonia saluted as well.

Tereya let her hand fall. "Lets go."

**- X -**

Hydrola sat bored on her throne. She had had a huge fit earlier about the women getting away thanks to her sister and was now calmed and purely bored. The manipulated Lloyd, Genis and Zelos stood by her sides awaiting orders. Scales now covered rows of their bodies, some on the face, around their neck, their upper and forearms, and their legs. She glared at each of them causing them to look somewhere else besides at her. She glanced back at the brunette and examined him closely. She ordered him to come closer so that she could get a better look at him. Lloyd complied without a choice and stood before her. Hydrola stood up, still slightly shorter than he was, and examined his face closely, as well as his unique swords.

"Why do you look so familiar to me?" She thought out loud.

Lloyd didn't respond. He just stared ahead blankly. Hydrola went to draw his Vopal Sword to examine it, but to her surprise, Lloyd caught her wrist before she could even touch the hilt. She stared up to see he was still under her control, but somehow he had acted on his own will. Hydrola growled and backhanded him, causing him to immediately release her wrist.

"You will not touch me EVER!" She snapped.

"I… apologize… Lady Hydrola..." Lloyd said monotonously.

She grinned. "That's better." She stroked his cheek. "Now I remember you. You're the Eternal Swordsman, Lloyd Irving, the savior of Symphonia. And those other two must be your companions. What a lucky catch, the savior and his companions." She chuckled slightly. "Now I can have some real fun."

"SISTER! YOUR REIGN OF TYRANNY ENDS TODAY!" The Guardian scowled and glanced at the entrance where her 'dear' sister and the previous women were standing along with five mermaid warriors.

"Get away from Lloyd!" Colette shouted drawing her chakrams.

Hydrola smirked. "Are you jealous? I can see why, he is quite handsome, AND he's the Eternal Swordsman. He's quite a nice addition to my collection of minions." She looked up to see him looking without seeing at the group, as she pulled a few stray strands of hair from his emotionless face.

Genis and Zelos swam to her sides, both armed and ready for any sudden attacks.

"Let them go!" Raine demanded.

Hydrola smirked and took out her trident. "If I'm correct, these boys will be more than a match for all of you and I won't have to call out any of my other slaves." She left Lloyd and stood behind them raising her pointed finger at her enemies. "ATTACK!"

The three manipulated boys immediately went into action on command. Lloyd began charging forward, with Zelos making a small distance between himself and Genis, while the sorcerer began casting his spells. All five mermaid warriors went in to stall Lloyd and split off to attack Zelos and Genis. Tereya and the other four women took this time to step around the small battle to focus on the main attraction, Hydrola. Lloyd had sliced aside two of the warriors and blocked the other's trident from jabbing him in the forehead. He shoved the fork aside and exchanged blows with the mermaid, but got a little overwhelmed once the other two joined in again.

If Zelos had been conscious at that moment, he would've been flirting with all the warriors he was up against. But unfortunately for him, he wasn't so he was slashing mercilessly at them. The warriors had a big advantage over him, seeing as he wasn't as skilled a fighter and the fact that he had a hard time fighting underwater. Every time Zelos swung his sword, he lost his balance briefly and had to block any attacks delivered. Plus, even manipulated, he still tried to look stylish as he attacked. One of the two warriors noticed Genis about to cast a spell and she dove past Zelos to tackle him. Zelos noticed, abandoning the warrior he was busy with, and pushed off the floor and managed to grab her tail. She was startled and fell to the ground, not before she grabbed a bit of Genis' cloak and dragged him down with her. Genis had just finished his spell as she did this, but the fall made his Aqua Laser go off course and end up hitting the ceiling.

The ceiling began to crumble a bit thanks to the sorcerer's attack, right above Lloyd and the other mermaid warriors. The warriors noticed and swam away from the Eternal Swordsman, much to his confusion. He felt something fall on his head and looked up. If he had been able to say anything at that moment, it would've been something like, "Oh… snap…", before he was buried by boulders. He managed to avoid critical damage, but still got his leg crushed under the rubble and had lost his swords, therefore stalling him for the moment.

Genis was about to get up when he saw two warriors above him coming down on his with their tridents in an 'X' formation so he had to bring up his staff to block the assault. He brought up his foot to push aside the tridents then moved in to swipe at their torsos with the sharp end of his staff. They narrowly dodged the attack, but not without damage, and went back in, parrying at him, but he spun his staff in his hand skillfully to block each blow. He then decided to begin a quick spell ignoring the damage he was receiving.

"ICICLE!" Genis shouted and the water around him began to freeze into blocks of ice.

Genis first took a close block and kicked it in Zelos' direction, who was having a difficult time handling the three warriors, two who had been originally fighting Lloyd. Zelos noticed the ice block coming and with all his strength pushed the girls back and took hold of his sword in both hands. Once the block was close enough, he swung his sword like a baseball player and redirected it to hit two of the warriors.

Lloyd, meanwhile, had managed to get himself free and had recollected his swords. Seeing the others were doing fine against the warriors, he decided to finish off the ones that had just been knocked back by the block of ice. His Flamberge began to increase in temperature and he took a long slash in the warrior's direction, causing the water around them to bubble and mist around them. They couldn't see for the moment so Lloyd went in swiftly slicing at them, causing them to cry out, until they finally were unconscious. He stared down as blood spread through the water, through diffusion, from their bodies and went to finish them off, but something in his mind stopped him. He seemed confused for a moment, but then decided ignore his unconscious opponents to go help out the other two again.

All the while, Hydrola watched on, laughing manically as her slaves took care of the worthless warriors. She slowed down to a chuckle once the rest of the women had confronted her. She was about to say something witty, but someone else had cut her off.

"ANGEL FEATHERS!" Glowing pink rings came out of no where and hit her in the stomach, exploding into faerie dust on contact.

Hydrola seethed in anger as she glared at the perpetrator. "Not only do you look like Meredi, but you're just as annoying as she is!" She stared at each of her enemies, holding her stomach all the while. "Seeing as there is five of you, I'll even the odds!"

She let go of her stomach and slashed her trident to the side. Suddenly, four clones of Hydrola appeared, each bared the same angered expression. The clones immediately sped off and attacked the Symphonia heroes, leaving Tereya to herself.

"Sister, let this be our final battle." Tereya stated and both got into a fighters stance.

They both went at it, slicing wildly at each other and skillfully dodging in the aqua arena. Both were merciless and created some serious damage when it came to it, but ignored the pain and pressed on, their only goal to see the other defeated. Hydrola almost regretted not summoning her other servants to assist her.

Colette swung her chakrams at the clone rushing at her only to have them swatted aside by its trident. She flapped her wings vigorously and managed to float high enough to avoid being skewered then went to recollect her chakrams.

She saw the clone coming back at her and extended her arms to her sides and spun around. "RING WHIRLWIND!" The attack not only created a small aqua shield to distract the clone, but she managed to slice it with her chakrams.

Unlike Colette, Presea was going all out with her clone, swinging her ax and exchanging blows. As difficult as it was, so long as she guided the ax in an even motion, it would keep on course. The rocks that were tied to her feet came in real handy because now she had full control and didn't float around. The clone went to stab her in the chest with the prongs of its trident, but Presea managed to block with the flat of her ax. Clearly stronger, she did a vertical slice and delivered a lot of damage to the clone. It growled and launched at Presea yet again.

Sheena was doing fairly well with the clone she was up against, using her ninja reflexes to evade any attacks, though slower since she was repressed by the water. She used her cards when necessary to deliver effective blows to the clone till she finally went on the offensive.

"CYCLONE SEAL!" Sheena's cards began to coil in the water, creating a mini vortex that threw the clone off for a moment and immediately after she delivered four well placed cards to create some serious damage.

Raine, being a healer and not as much a fighter, was having a difficult time with her clone. All she could really do at the moment was block any of its strikes with her staff, not having enough time to cast. She was reaching her limit when she felt something pulsing in her pocket and new strength beginning to return to her form. Taking advantage of this, she managed to force the clone back enough to inspect the new power. It was the Earth Crest and it was now glowing brightly with a dark emerald hue and sending a new power to her body. Raine subconsciously began to cast a new spell that as if she had known it all her life, an intricate green spell circle appearing around her feet.

She shouted the spell's name without her command. "POISON IVY!"

Suddenly all around her began to sprout with green vine-like plants that all shot forth and ensnared the clone. They kept on squeezing tighter, constricting the clone's false form, until finally it reached its limit and burst into bubbles. Raine took a moment to absorb what had just happened, as the vines retreated back to their sources, and looked back down at the Earth Crest. It wasn't glowing quite as brightly as it had before.

"It must've reacted when I was in danger... FACINATING!" Raine squealed, before going to help the others.

Colette had finally finished off her clone… well, technically the clone finished off itself. Colette had been unable to defeat the clone with her strength alone underwater, so it ended up being a high-speed chase with the clone going after her. She was going to attempt an evasive maneuver where she would rebound off the wall and use the extra force to destroy the clone, but it didn't quite work out that way. Somehow, even though she was flying, Colette had managed to snag her foot on some rubble and trip face flat to the floor. The clone was going too fast to stop and ended up colliding with the wall, the force enough to make it burst into bubbles.

"Oops…" Colette giggled and went to go help Tereya fight the real Hydrola.

Presea had long since finished off the pathetic clone and was going to help fight Hydrola. Sheena had infused her cards with Volt's electrical mana, using her Sylva Seals, and had quickly disposed of her clone, the electricity only focusing on the enemy, and had gone to help the others. Tereya and Hydrola were both at a standstill, beaten by each other's relentless attacks and were now catching their breaths. Tereya was worse off then Hydrola, who was almost unscathed, and almost at her limit. That was when she suddenly felt a warm aura surround her body, returning her strength and healing her more serious wounds. She looked back to see Colette, Sheena, Presea and Raine, who had just healed her, all standing in a row ready to end the battle.

Hydrola's eyes widened slightly. "You've defeated my clones..?"

"Yup! And now we're going to defeat you!" Colette announced and they all went in to attack the Guardian at once.

Colette began the union attack with her Judgment attack which created lights that rained out of no where causing critical damage. Raine followed up with a simple Photon attacked that exploded on contact and Sheena then threw a few of her electric infused cards to create some damage. Presea sliced at Hydrola's beaten form a few times then finished off with an upper cut that sent her flying, finishing off her Finality Punishment attack. Before Hydrola could hit the ground though, Tereya summoned a Spread spell that shot her straight into the wall, finishing her off completely. Tereya approached the prone form and removed the Water Crest from her chest.

"Her rain of tyranny has finally ended." Tereya muttered then turned back to the girls. "And I have you all to thank for that." She went up to Colette and handed her the crest. "I apologize to you, Colette, for confusing you so many times for my dear sister, Meredi. I give you this and hope you can accept my apology."

Colette smiled brightly and took the Water Crest. "You didn't have to apologize, that's my job, but of course I'll accept it." Suddenly the crest began to glow with bright blue light. "It's reacting!"

The blue light spread out and infused everyone in their party with new power, and fell to their weapons. Their weapons glowed for a moment before changing from their green color to a sea blue and got new intricate designs encrypted on them.

"This time it reacts for Colette." Presea stated.

"Maybe each of us will get a crest in the end." Sheena said a little excited.

"AHHH!" They all turned around in alarm to see all three of their male party members were wide-eyed and pointing at each other.

"What the hell are those things!" Lloyd cried and pointed at the scales that covered parts of Genis' body.

"You have them too!" Genis shouted and caused Lloyd to start yelling too.

"GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF!" Zelos wailed repeatedly and tugged painfully at the scales.

"Shouldn't we be drowning? Undine's spell must've worn off by now!" Genis panicked.

"Maybe we're already dead!" Lloyd gasped.

"I see you're finally awake…" They looked up to see everyone staring down at them.

"No! My hunnies have died too!" Zelos cried.

"You're not dead!" Sheena snapped.

"You're just partially transformed into mermen." Tereya explained.

"Hey, you're that mermaid we found in the ocean!" Lloyd pointed out obliviously.

The girls rolled their eyes.

"Well, how are we breathing- how are YOU breathing?" Genis gasped as he noticed that there were no bubbles surrounding them.

"We drank a Mermaid's Tear. You are breathing thanks to those scales." Colette said cheerfully.

"Well, I'm bored of water. Let's find the crest and get out of here." Lloyd sighed and frowned when the women smacked their foreheads. "Let me guess… you already got it…"

"What the hell happened while we were out?" Zelos whined.

They all left the temple and went back to Mystic Fountains, the girls explaining what had happened the whole way causing the guys to get even more confused. They told Triton about their victory and he sent out scouts to pick up the wounded, Hydrola and free any of her minions she had hypnotized in the past. Raine also explained her sudden power she had gotten from the Earth Crest.

"So, do you think I'll get a special power as well from the Water Crest?" Colette asked, staring at the crest.

"You should. I don't see why not." Raine shrugged.

"Okay, that's nice and all, but how do we get back to normal? I don't want to live in water for the rest of my life." Genis asked.

Tereya smirked evilly. "We can take care of that; just follow me to a quieter area."

The boys looked at each other nervously but weighed their fear versus the world then followed her. The girls all waited outside the room for a while, a little worried about what might happen to them. They were all jolted out of their thoughts when they heard cries of pain every second by the boys. They could've sworn they even heard Lloyd cry, "MOMMY!" Tereya stepped out the room chuckling, she had a few bandages here and there from her battle with Hydrola.

"Your boys sure are a bunch of babies. They can't even handle a little plucking." She laughed and the girls looked at her confused. "We have to pluck off the scales since they haven't fully stuck to the skin. Once the scales are removed, the gills won't have any protection and will close quickly after. Their lungs weren't changed in any way either so they'll be just fine." The screaming had lowered to mere whimpering. "I think they're just about done in there. You can come in if you want."

Raine was eager to see if her brother was okay and the others followed after her. They entered the room and surfaced to see Lloyd, Genis and Zelos were sitting there on a platform above the water, trying ever so hard not to let tears be shed. Anywhere the scales had previously been was now bandaged but you could still see red a little outside the strips of waterproof fabric.

"How are you kids doing?" Sheena asked with a chuckle.

"Shut up…" Lloyd growled, as the nurse that was tying another bandage to his arm finished.

"Raine, can't you do anything to make it sting less?" Genis whimpered as another bandage was applied to his face.

Raine looked at Tereya who shook her head. "Sorry kid, this is delicate stuff and you need to heal naturally or else it will scar you for life."

Genis groaned. Zelos decided to try his luck next.

"Maybe you could kiss my boo-boo's better?" He asked pathetically and only received glares and painful tap on the leg from a nurse to smarten him up. He yelped in response.

"When will they be healed enough to leave?" Presea asked.

"You should be able to leave by tomorrow. Just let them rest overnight and they should be well enough to tackle any challenge." Tereya winked.

"Where are we going next- OW!" Lloyd yelped as the nurse placed a bandage on a more sensitive wound.

"Frolen Ruins of course!" Raine declared excitedly. "I've been dying to go there!"

"That's why we decided to go there last…" Genis muttered, luckily Raine didn't hear him.

"Yeah! Once you're all better, we can leave right away!" Colette beamed.

"I can't wait…" Zelos mumbled tiredly. "As hot as the babes are here, I can't wait to get to dry land…"

"Not in the same context, but I agree with Zelos." Sheena admitted.

"We should let the babies rest now. They're in for a long painful recovery." Tereya jeered.

"Shut up…" The boys groaned at them.

* * *

**Aisu:** There it is. How's that for Girl Power? No real comments on the chapter, but I just wanted to clear up some things that were a bit iffy with me so I don't get any real critique on them: 

_Mermaid's Tear:_ I know these are used for customization in the game, but this was completely different. I know the effects may be a bit farfetched as well, but so are Life Bottles that revive you when you're dead. XD;

_Colette/Meredi:_ It was all pure coincidence they looked alike. Meredi's looks were lost in the gene pool so that's why she looked a lot differenter than her sisters and father. She got her Mother's looks. Just a bit of a secret, but these two chapters were 'supposed' to be Colette based... but I was drawing a blank. Sorry Colette!

_Raine's New Attack:_ I questioned it myself after seeing her shiny awesome Hi-Ougis from the PS2 version. But I think it's appropriate since she's less physical and more healing based. No way to change it though since I've used it in others chapters already.

_Tereya:_ Hah! No problem with Tereya, but I just wanted to point this out. Her name in Japanese means 'shy', but I think she was everything but shy in here. I use this method a lot, using OCs from my old fics. Tereya, in an old Naruto fic I made, was actually a VERY shy 5-year old and not a mermaid. I'm going to be introducing one of my favorite OC's way in the future chapters!

I think that's it... probably more but whatever. I think the only think I like about this chapter is the battle between the manipulated boys and the warriors... and maybe the ending. You know the drill, next update isnext Friday! Till then, please leave a review! They're all greatly appreciated! I'll also answer questions about the fic so long as they're not spoiler-ish.

I spent all day yesterday working on Chapter 15 and it's almost done! As soon as that's done, I'll either do another chapter of Tales of Insanity OR start The Meltokio Castle Murder Case! I'm so excited! YAY!


	9. Frolen Ruins

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters_

**Aisu:** Woo! Next chapter of ToH! Thank you **ShadowofUndine, Kawaii Yoshi,** and **Kitsu Kurasei** for reviewing last chapter, and to all the anonymous people out there for reading my story!

I've been having an awesome week! I finished Chapter 15 and 16 of ToH (They were suppose to be one chapter but got too large so I split them), AND started The Meltokio Castle Murder Case! I thought it would be best if I submit that story tomorrow, because I kind of revolves around ToH and this chapter may make it a bit clearer. I tried to make sure it wouldn't be confusing for new readers and non-spoilerous for regular readers because in it, they've collected four crests. It's like a sidequest to ToH. Just so you know, the story is pretty angsty, has some alcohal use, and vague humor, therefore it is true to its TEEN rating. Especially in the first chapter. Just like in Detective Conan, my inspiration. :D

Crap, I finally checked about that elf kid from Chapter 5 I named Rom. Turns out his name is ACTUALLY Ricardo. XD; Oh well, both begin with 'R'.

School's coming up -coughdamnitcough-, I'm going to an Anime Convention with **DomoKim**, AND I'm learning how to drive. But I will still work my rear off writing! I'm just too excited about this fanfic! I wish you were all where I am currently in ToH!

Anyways, enjoy the chapter! There's a bit of an author's note in the middle just so you know.

* * *

Chapter 9: Frolen Ruins

The heroes of Symphonia had a rough sleep that night. The boys couldn't get comfortable because every time they moved they felt a sharp stinging pain from beneath their bandages and the women had to sleep half out of the water so that they could still breathe while the Mermaid's Tear was in effect, but not drown when it wore off. They all woke up that morning rather grouchy, except for Raine of course who was too excited about going to Frolen Ruins to even care. That's what everyone was worried about. Lloyd, Genis and Zelos had some of their bandages removed that morning to increase mobility, but most of the red welts were still covered and Tereya had lectured them to not take them off until they weren't as red anymore. Sheena summoned Undine and they all headed off, not worrying about the time they had to get out of there. They noticed that some of the mermen were rebuilding the ruined Mystic Fountains as they exited the watery depths through a tunnel.

As soon as they broke the surface, Undine's magic had dispelled and they could breathe in the sweet air of land again. "Land! Oh how I missed you so much!" Zelos shouted and started to hug and kiss the ground.

"Enjoying the taste of grass and bugs there, Zelos?" Genis smirked as the redhead began to cough and gag.

"I got to admit, I'm happy I was born a land creature." Sheena sighed. "The water was just a little unnerving for my taste."

Lloyd plucked a fruit from one of the trees and bit into it greedily. "Yeah, and I see the Professor got over her fear of water."

"Um, where is the Professor?" Colette asked as she looked up from the Water Crest.

"She went behind the trees. I assumed she was going to the washroom." Presea said, and then noticed all the uneasy faces as they all separated into different parts of the forest urgently to answer nature's call. She noticed what was going on and left herself.

The sound of a revving engine brought them all back to their previous location. They still couldn't find Raine so they decided to follow the sound of the engine they heard just then. After pushing through the foliage, they found out that it was Raine and she was sitting on her Rheaird glaring impatiently at the others.

"Are we going or not!" She snapped.

They all sighed. "Sis, don't you think we should eat something first? Or better yet, rest?" Genis asked.

Raine scowled childishly for a moment but eventually stepped off the Rheaird and began putting it away. "But right after we're leaving!"

"Yes…" They all said simultaneously.

Seeing as the boys were out of commission, Sheena decided she would cook again. She made a delicious Miso Stew that everyone savored. Sheena couldn't help but blush and laugh sheepishly since she had never gotten so many compliments on such a simple dish. Almost immediately after, Raine had prepared her Rheaird once more and began shouting at them all for being so slow.

"Easy there, Professor. The ruins aren't going anywhere." That earned Lloyd a firm scolding, since Raine knew it would be pure hell for his wounds if she smacked him.

They all mounted their Rheairds and took off, Raine leading them this time. The next crest was located in the Hima mountain range but Raine was going completely the wrong way. It only took a minute before she noticed nobody was following her and went after them. Luckily, or unluckily, Hima wasn't very far from Lake Umacy so they made a quick stop there, just to see about where Frolen Ruins was. They all landed and hiked the rest of the way up into Hima, Noishe rejoining them. They were all surprised to see that the previously quiet and secluded Hima was bustling with people all hopping around in distress. Colette walked up to one of the people, a woman whose face was deeply etched with stress.

"Excuse me miss, but what's going on here?" She asked kindly.

The woman looked flabbergasted. "You don't know what's going on here! How couldn't you! Aliens have been taking over most of the towns around the world and Hima was one of the only places that haven't been taken over so we came here. Now the stupid dragon of Frolen Ruins is attacking us since the mountains have become over populated and has even kidnapped some of us." She looked about ready to cry. "My husband was taken too…" Now she had broken down.

Colette looked uneasily back at the others.

"A dragon?" Presea asked.

"I've never heard of dragons living in the Hima region." Raine thought out loud.

"Well I have." Zelos said and everyone stared at him in disbelief. "No really, I have! I read in a book once-"

"Wow, you read something besides Sexy Monthly?" Sheena stated bluntly.

Zelos smirked at her. "In the academy I did. Anyways, I read that there was a dragon living in one of the dormant volcanoes around Hima. It has slept for thousands of years peacefully and no one has really paid mind to it because it never seemed threatening. That's all I read about it so I have no clue though why it suddenly woke up now with a giant stick up its ass."

Raine didn't really approve of his choice of words but ignored it for now. "Maybe the sudden over population woke it. The Hima region was mostly known for its low population and maybe the noise of all the people woke it up."

"What ever the reason, we can't let it hurt everyone!" Lloyd stated.

"Our options are: Kill the dragon, or find a way to make it sleep once more." Presea said.

"At the moment, the first choice seems like the best one." Genis said with a shrug. "We've fought dragons before. I'm sure we could beat this one."

This conversation caught the attention of a nearby man. "Are you saying you're all going to fight that thing?"

"Um… that was that plan." Lloyd said.

The man pointed at a tall mountain in the distance. "That mountain is where its nest is. Below there is Frolen Ruins where many people are trapped. I saw you all fly here, but you should walk because it'll just attack you in the air." He squinted for a moment before his eyes widened in fear. "HOLY MARTEL, IT'S COMING!" He screamed causing all the people to go into an uproar, running every which way like blind mice.

"Uh oh…" Sheena squeaked as the dark object got bigger and bigger as it came closer.

It was indeed a dragon. It had jet black scales and a red under belly, with large plates protecting its entire body. Its gold eyes were on target for Hima as it flapped its red webbed wings at a steady beat. It had sharp claws and teeth, which looked like they could cut through anything, and sharp spikes protruding from its long black tail. The Symphonian heroes got a little more worried as the thing's size continued to grow until it was larger than any dragon they had ever fought!

Zelos whistled. "Check out the size of that sucker!"

"How are we going to defeat that thing!" Genis gasped as it hovered before the village.

By now everyone except the heroes had hidden leaving the dragon to only focus on them. They each drew their weapons a little shakily causing the dragon to roar in laughter.

"You think you can kill me, the mighty Valcov, with those puny weapons?" It sucked in its breath, its acid-like breath mixing with the oxygen creating a fire in its lungs, before it exhaled fire right at them.

Each called upon their shields just in time to block the fire from scorching them to death. By the time their shields failed, the dragon had finished its fire assault and tilted its head.

"Hm… that's the first time anyone's been able to block my hellfire." Valcov's snake-like tongue flicked out for a second before it grinned. "See if you can dodge this though!"

Like greased lightning, it struck, jaws gaping wide. Everyone relied on their reflexes and managed to narrowly escape those needle sharp teeth. Valcov ended up with a mouth full of earth and rock, leaving a huge dent in the path, and spat out to the side.

"Give back all the people you have kidnapped!" Lloyd demanded with a little hesitance.

Valcov noticed this and roared in laughter once again. "You want them all back? You can try, but I guarantee you won't be able to, with confidence like that!" An idea hit him. "I'll tell you what, if you can defeat me within a day, then I'll spare their worthless lives!" With that said, he left the village to go back to his nest.

They all stood stunned. The villagers began to come out of hiding, once they heard the fighting die down and approached them wearily.

The same man from before spoke to them first. "Is it true… that you're all going to fight Valcov and get back our loved ones?"

Zelos whispered to Raine. "ARE we actually going to fight that thing?"

Raine glanced at him. "I don't think we have much of a choice." Just then, someone else caught her eye that made her groan. "Scratch that, we DON'T have much of a choice."

Zelos looked in the direction she was looking and he laughed nervously. "Kingie! How's it been hanging, you old dog?"

The King of Tethe'alla didn't look all that impressed. "If I remember correctly, the Papal Knight told me you clonked me over the head with your sword hilt and left me to rot."

The redhead chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah… about that…" He whispered in the King's ear. "If you let me off the hook, then I won't exploit to everyone about your secret fetish with Sexy Monthly. So far everyone still thinks it was me reading it in the library."

The King nodded and spoke with a pseudo-sensei accent. "Wise as ever, using blackmail to get what you want." He coughed into his fist.

The rest of the group was getting a little weirded out by their strange conversation. "So, what brings you here, Kingie?" Zelos finally asked.

"Meltokio was run in by black creatures, tearing up the streets and destroying my precious castle. We all managed to escape here before any of us were killed, but now we're going to be killed by that damn dragon." His eyes suddenly flickered with an idea as he glanced at his subordinate. "Unless…"

Zelos caught on and backed away. "No way, that thing is freaking huge!"

"You're my top Knight of Tethe'alla. I would've gotten the Eternal Swordsman there to take your title, but he was occupied at the moment." The King grinned mischievously.

"Ouch… Right there, Kingie… Right there…" Zelos whined dramatically and made actions with his hands thrusting an invisible knife straight through his heart.

Genis whispered to Presea. "It's like they've been friends their whole lives."

"Maybe they have." She said back.

"Now my dear Knight, don't cower out now when you've already stood against the odds." The King scolded.

"But you saw that thing, how would I defeat it!" Zelos wailed as if he had been rehearsing for a play.

"I have faith in my top Knight." He finally noticed all the bandages wrapped on his body. "Even in that condition…"

Zelos noticed he was staring at his bandages. "Oh, these? That reminds me; a little while ago I had been planning on resigning from my title and becoming a merman slave to some hot evil mermaid chick. I reconsidered once my hunnies beat her to a pulp and she went to jail." He said slyly.

The King grinned. "I wouldn't have missed you anyway."

"Again with the painful words? You're too cruel!"

Sheena's eye twitched slightly. "I can't even follow what they're saying anymore…"

The King noticed that almost everyone had grown bored of their bantering and had either left or were glaring at the two of them. "So will you slay the dragon for the sake of all those who have lost their loved ones?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I was already planning to anyway." Zelos shrugged causing everyone to face fault around them.

"It took you that long to decide something that was already unanimous!" Sheena shouted in outrage.

She was ignored though. "That-a boy my Knight! Give that overgrown lizard a stab for your ol' Kingie, won't ya?"

"Of course! His Majesty orders, the Great Zelos, Respected Knight of Symphonia, obeys." Zelos drew his sword and pointed it to the sky dramatically. "I shall slayeth thy dragon, with my EXCALIBUR!"

"… Why do I feel like I've read something like this in a book?" Raine muttered.

The King finally went serious. "I must let you know that many have already tried to slay the dragon, but none of them have returned. This is the most dangerous mission I will ever send you on… till something more dangerous comes up. But anyway, I want you to be careful because you've been like a dear son to me."

"Likewise." Zelos said.

The King stared at him funny. "Don't you mean I was like a father to you?"

"No, you're too short to be my father." Zelos laughed and everyone around sweat dropped. "But I will be careful. You can depend on your top Knight!" He winked.

'Kingie' smiled. "I know I can. There should be people in Frolen Ruins who can help you when you get there. Remember, you must walk, not fly on the Rheairds."

"Of course."

"Finally, I want you to come back safe and sound. You have a lot of paper work to catch up on. Good luck!"

"Bye, Kingie!"

Lloyd looked back to his companions while Zelos and the King of Tethe'alla shared a passionate hug. "Does… this mean we're finally leaving?"

"I can never look at those two the same way ever again…" Genis muttered.

"I thought it was sweet!" Colette beamed.

"As long as we're going to Frolen Ruins, I could care less about anything at the moment." Raine huffed.

"That was… strange…" Presea said.

"Boys…" Sheena grunted crossing her arms.

Zelos came hobbling over. "Hey! Are we all set to leave!"

"Zelos… what was with you and the King?" Lloyd asked.

Zelos' fat grin faded down a few notches till it was a half smile. "I'll tell you on the way. It'll hopefully pass the time." He walked past them all and started down the trail.

Lloyd looked a little worried. "Did I say something wrong?"

Colette frowned. "He looked so sad suddenly."

"We… should catch up before he gets too far." Genis said suddenly and Sheena agreed.

They all ran after Zelos, a few of them slipping on the crumbly path, till they finally caught up to the redheaded Chosen. He didn't move to acknowledge them though; he just kept on walking without a sound. After several kilometers in complete silence, everyone was getting extremely worried. Sheena finally took action and jumped in front of Zelos.

"Zelos, what the hell is wrong with you!" She demanded and he stopped in front of her.

He tried to force a grin. "What do you mean, my voluptuous hunny?" She glared at him long and hard until he finally gave up. "Fine, I'll tell you. It's a sob story though so I hope you have tissues."

He began his story while they were still walking since they had a long way to go and couldn't afford too many breaks.

**(NOTE: I never watched the Flanoir scene with Zelos before I made this story so I made up his past. I recently did on YouTube and panicked when I realized it was a lot different from what I had. I've been trying to get him, but I always get either Regal or Raine instead… -.-;)**

"Twenty-four years ago, a baby boy was born. You could already sense he was going to be something great; handsome, smart, a wonderful warrior. Everybody loved him dearly." He grinned. "Several houses across the street from that kid, I was born."

"ZELOS!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh… Anyways, since I was the new Chosen, my mom died soon after my birth. That left me with my father who was all but devastated by her death to take care of me. Being the Chosen of Regeneration, people attempted to assassinate me on countless occasions, saying I was a demon child or I should have never been born and all that crap."

"It sounds like what happened to me…" Colette muttered.

"Yeah, by around age four I was quite the handsome little 'devil'. One day though, my wings had popped out in public and there was uproar. I don't even remember how it happened. The attacks became more consistent and closer every time till one night I had been kidnapped from my room. My father managed to get to me before they could finish me off for good, but he ended up receiving a fatal blow. With the last of his strength, he gave me a note and told me to go to the castle. All I remember was that there was a flash of orange then I was in front of the palace where I met with the King. I gave him the message and he took me in and raised me. I was a part of royal blood thanks to my mother anyway so it made sense that I would fit in. The King taught me everything I know today, including flirting and fighting. Soon I became a prodigy and nobody ever dared to try and kill me again while I held a sword in my hand."

They all stared at him.

"Wow… I never knew you had lived such a difficult life." Sheena said honestly.

"But what about after we saved him, he said he never wanted to see your face again." Lloyd pointed out.

Zelos shrugged. "The poison was just making his head all screwy. Several days later he was acting like it never even happened."

"How odd…" Raine muttered.

"Kingie and I bonded into father and son ever since so I'm now the next in line for the throne."

Everyone gaped at him.

"That's right, bumpkins! The Great Zelos Wilder is soon to be the Great King Wilder!" He laughed out loud.

"Y-You..? The King of… Tethe'alla..? …You?" Genis spluttered.

Zelos laid his arm on the sorcerer's shoulder. "That's right, my vertically challenged friend!"

"What would you do if you were King, Zelos?" Lloyd asked in total awe.

Zelos thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "My first order of business would be to get rid of those poofy annoying dresses all the hunnies of Meltokio wear. From then on, all the ladies will wear fitted outfits showing off all the good stuff!" He declared pointing to the sky.

They stood there in silence for what felt like forever and Presea could've sworn she saw a tumbleweed float by.

"THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" Although she was sympathetic about his childhood, Sheena wasn't about to let Zelos scar other children's childhoods and gave him a good smack to the head.

"But my voluptuous hunny, you'll be my queen and have high command with me." Zelos pointed out.

"I'll keep my Successor uniform and my title in Mizuho any day…" Sheena rolled her eyes.

"Um… was there anything else you were going to do?" Colette asked.

"Well, besides cut taxes and that crap, I can't say I would do much." Zelos shrugged. "I mean, I watch Kingie all day and he doesn't do anything too important. All I ever see him do is sit in the library and read Sex-" He caught himself, from blowing one of the King's secrets, once he saw everyone gaping once again. "Um, Sex… ual Education books to children!" He added quickly with a laugh.

"Oh! If you've been listening to that from the King, then you can tell me where babies come from!" Colette beamed and everyone looked at her uneasily. "I was only supposed to learn about how to be an angel so they never bothered teaching me that kind of stuff."

"Even I learned that when I was four- OW!" Genis clutched his aching head.

"You took one of my books without my permission! You were crying for a week shouting that you saw icky pictures!" Raine snapped but then slapped a hand over her mouth while her brother turned bright red.

Lloyd cracked up till he was rolling on the ground. "That's… too… funny…" He could barely even speak.

Genis growled. "You know what? I feel like cooking tomato soup tonight…"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop…" Lloyd choked out.

"What are icky pictures? Why won't anybody tell me?" Colette pouted.

"When you're a little older, dear…" Raine said patting the blonde's head, ignoring the fact that Colette was eighteen.

"Poor innocent, Colette…" Presea muttered. "I must point out that the longer we take to get to Frolen Ruins, the sooner Valcov will dine on the villagers and the Sithom Comet will impact Symphonia."

"Presea's right, my ruins await!" Raine shouted and marched forward at a very fast pace.

"Hey wait! Professor, don't go too far!" Lloyd called out.

It was too late, by that moment, three large black winged-dragons stood in front of Raine, cutting off her path. Raine, blinded by rage from being cut off, whipped out her staff on reflex and smashed it against one of the dragon's underbellies. It merely looked down and snorted, causing some of Raine's hair to blow to the side. She laughed nervously and backed away slowly. Once she was away from them, the dragons screeched loudly and charged forward at the group. They all drew their weapons and the frontlines charged forward while the magicians cast spells.

"Where did these things come from?" Sheena shouted as she whacked one of the dragons in the nose with her cards.

"I don't know, but they look a lot like Valcov." Lloyd said slashing ineffectively at the dragon's belly.

"I think he's trying to stop us before we reach the ruins." Zelos said while managing to pierce the dragon's scales slightly.

"FREEZE LANCER!" Genis shouted and the mana around his staff condensed into icicles which shot at the dragons having some effect. "They're fire element dragons!"

"Definitely, Valcov!" Raine said and summoned a Photon spell that confused one of the dragons temporarily.

Something weird happened just then, all the dragons suddenly flew away. "What, did we win?" Colette asked.

Presea heard something and turned around, eyes wide. "It was a trap!"

They all turned around and shouted as they saw Valcov in all his glory dive-bombing at them. His talons were open and going in to grab Colette. She screamed but then felt someone push her aside and looked up just in time to see who had been taken instead.

"ZELOS!" They all shouted.

* * *

**Aisu:** Oh noez! Zelos has been captured by a dragon. :O 

The King is interesting to write about. I like how I changed his personality around. Zelos shall rule Tethe'alla! Hope you don't mind Zelos' past alteration. I can't help it if I'm too lazy to go through the WHOLE game several more times just to find out what happened and get yelled at by my parents for wasting my life.

I will continue to work on ToH, ToI (I'll work on a backup chapter eventually, I recently got great ideas for future chapters!) and the mystery story will be up tomorrow to make up for the lack of anything this week.

Till next Friday's update, please leave a review!


	10. Flame Crest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do However Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu:** Thank you **Kitsu Kurasei, ShadowofUndine** and **firedragongirl** for reviewing last chapter along with all you anonymous people who simply read the story!

I'm hyper because Anime Evolution is tomorrow! I can't wait! But I can't forget this story. A nice big chapter for you all! Though... I hope there's enough action because there's lots more talking... XD;

Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 10: Flame Crest

"ZELOS!"

"See what happens when I try to be a nice guy!" Zelos shouted, currently being gripped by the shoulders in the dragon's talons, his voice fading as he got further away.

"Hang on! We'll come and save you!" Lloyd shouted.

"Thanks, Bud!" Now his voice was barely audible.

"Damnit!" Lloyd cursed as he watched helplessly as one of his friends was taken to the dreaded nest of Valcov. "We have to help him!"

"We will, Lloyd, along with the rest of the villagers." Raine said firmly. "We just need to get to those ruins and receive help from the people there."

Colette looked down. "I'm sorry, Lloyd. I was a burden to you all once again and Zelos was kidnapped for it…"

"Colette now's not the time to apologize for everything." Genis pointed out.

"He's right, plus it wasn't your fault anyways. We have to save Zelos and everyone else first so you can apologize later, okay?" Lloyd said with a kind smile.

Colette's face lit up and she nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry."

**- X -**

"Ow! Geez, watch the merchandise you overgrown lizard!" Zelos snapped as Valcov landed, he ended up being squashed under the giant dragon's foot. His bandaged wounds all but seared with pain.

"Quiet, human!" Valcov ordered with a snarl as he lifted his foot off the poor man and picked him up with his sharp claws.

As if he were throwing out the trash, Valcov then opened the top to a large cage and dropped Zelos in without a care, then closed it once again. The redhead ended up landing on his rear and rubbed it slightly to sooth the pain. He watched as Valcov flew back to his nest and lay down, and then noticed the rest of his surrounds. He was trapped in an iron cage that was sitting on a cliff edge in the middle of… somewhere. Wherever he was, it was toasty and there were pillars all over the place like the one Valcov's nest was resting on. He got up painfully and poked his head through the bars only to feel a large wave of heat rush against his face. He looked down and gasped. Lava and molten rock covered the ground, bubbling and melting any debris that crumbled towards it. He was in a volcano!

"Mr. Zelos?" Zelos yelped and fell back on his rear again at the sound of somebody behind him.

He snapped his head back to see many people standing there, so many that he felt a little embarrassed about rubbing his sore rump in front of them before. The person who had approached him was a young woman with brown hair, in a high ponytail, and wore a brown and yellow dress. She seemed so familiar to him… he almost had it…

"Chocolat, was it?" Zelos asked after staring at her for what felt like hours and she nodded. "How did a sweet cutie like you get caught by that ugly thing?" He pointed back at Valcov.

"Well, Palmacosta was invaded by these weird black alien things and Governor-General Neil ended up evacuating the entire town, just as we had finally finished rebuilding it. We heard rumor that everyone was evacuating to Hima so we followed the crowd. On the way though, that dragon swooped down and snatched some of us, including me, and dropped us here since." Chocolat explained.

"How long have you been in here for?" Zelos asked curiously. "Do they ever feed you at all?"

"We've been here for maybe a day or two now. And yeah, they do feed us whatever the smaller dragons didn't want to eat." She held up what looked like a giant rat turned inside out. "Skinned rabbit?" She offered.

Zelos almost gagged at the sight. "No… I can see why they didn't want to eat it though…" He hung his head outside the bars again, ignoring the heat, till something caught his eye in the dragon's nest.

It was a red jewel type thing that was nestled in the rocks by the large dragon. It didn't have much shine to it but it still made Zelos' face light up.

"The Elemental Crest! I found it!" He cheered and did his own little victory dance and theme song, much to the confusion of inhabitants of the cage.

"Um… Mr. Zelos? What's an Elemental Crest?" Chocolat asked.

Zelos was about to pull off a big finishing pose, but Chocolat's words had thrown him off his groove. "Aw man, that was going to be the best part… So what were you saying my Sweet Cutie?"

"What's an Elemental Crest?" She repeated.

Zelos wasn't the brightest bulb in the box so he had to think for a moment to get an answer. He couldn't reply right away like say the Professor. "Well… I don't know WHAT they are, but I know we're collecting them to amplify our power." He pointed at the sky towards a dot, which had surprisingly gotten a bit bigger since he last looked. "See that dot in the sky?"

"Yeah, I saw it one night with my mom and always thought it was a pretty star. What is it?" Chocolat asked.

"That's the Sithom Comet. It's broken through the earth's orbit and is now on a collision course. The impact will destroy all of Symphonia." He explained but got a little flustered once he saw the girl and everyone else in the cage start to panic. "B-But don't worry! We're collecting those crests to help us destroy the comet before it reaches Symphonia!"

Chocolat beamed and tackle hugged Zelos. "You're so brave to be doing all that to save the world! But wait a minute, you said 'we', who's we?"

Zelos at the moment had all but forgotten that they were trapped in a cage in a volcano being guarded by a dragon, because a girl had, at that very moment, willingly glomped him to the floor. "Me… and everyone from the World Regeneration…"

"Oh wow!" Chocolat stood up suddenly and got all sparkly eyed. "Because you were captured, Lloyd's coming to save us now, isn't he?"

Zelos frowned, silently cursing himself for giving Lloyd all those lady tips. "Yes… He better be anyway. I don't want to end up as lizard crap." He glanced over at the people at the other side of the cage, who had been silent all this time. "Aren't you all going to say something?"

They shook their heads.

**- X -**

It took a while, but they all finally reached the mountain that held the Frolen Ruins, and Raine was ecstatic. The mountain was tall in a reddish tinge, like the rest of the Hima Mountains in the region, and steep. If they hiked up the side and climbed a bit, they would be able to reach the platform of rock that looked like it was large enough to hold a small village. At the very top of the mountain, black with red-webbed wings could be seen faintly, meaning Valcov was waiting.

"I guess we should start climbing if we want to get there in time." Lloyd suggested and they started to trudge up the slope.

They hiked up the slippery slopes for what felt like forever till they reached a dead end, the mountain face too smooth to climb or grip.

"Well now what?" Raine whined. "I'll never see the ruins at this rate…"

"… Or save Zelos and the other people." Genis added to make up for his sister's temporary insensitivity.

Sheena scanned the wall then came up with a brilliant plan. "Why don't we fly up? Genis' staff can fly someone and Colette can also fly so why not?"

"That's a marvelous idea, Sheena!" Raine praised before stealing her brother's staff out of excitement.

She tried to make it extend from its compact form but it didn't work. She shook it a few times and still it didn't extend. Now getting quite frustrated, she threw it to the ground and Genis had to dive and catch it before it hit and got broken.

"Sis, you know it doesn't extend for you!" Genis snapped and easily made the staff extend and feathered wings grow. "I promised to try and stop breaking your stuff so you should stop breaking mine!"

Raine frowned and pouted to the side. Genis sighed and waved his sister over to mount. She did in record time. Colette's wings flared from her back in all their glory, but nobody noticed that the tips were now flecked with light blue for some strange reason. As Genis had gone up already, Colette held Lloyd under his arms and lifted him off the ground, increasing altitude as they went along. When she went to go get somebody else, Lloyd was shocked to see the change in her wings but couldn't shout in time to tell her. Genis brought up Presea and Colette picked up Sheena and soon they were all staring at the village, Lloyd's spontaneous short-term memory forgetting about Colette's wings. It looked to be of an ancient time, the houses were built with dried clay that cracked with age and small pillars lined the streets with small statues on top. The walls were covered in ancient writing, hieroglyphics and pictures of people and dragons and even warriors. The place appeared to be deserted, besides the few horses here and there.

"Everyone must be hiding because of Valcov." Presea said.

"Yeah," Sheena agreed and pointed at craters in the red-tinged earth. "And judging by these craters he could've been sending down fireballs to scare the villagers."

"Well it certainly worked." Lloyd said, crossing his arms and examining the destruction that had been done to some of the homes.

"It's horrible…" Colette muttered.

Genis looked from side to side. "Where's Raine?"

"Damnit, she must've gone in without us." Lloyd scowled.

"HEY! Give that back, lady!"

They all looked up just in time to see Raine running towards them with a large intricate vase in her grasp. She dove in behind them and hid. Just as she did this, a large man with black hair and a mustache ran around the corner and confronted them.

"Did you happen to see a silver-haired woman run by here with a large pot?" He asked and pointed at Genis. "She looked a bit like him, but wearing orange." The party separated, revealing Raine in her lame hiding spot. "There you are! Give back that vase, lady!"

Raine glared at him, a slight crazed look in her eye. "No, it's mine!" She shouted childishly.

Genis waved the Earth Crest, which he had just stolen now, in front of his sister's face. "Raine… you want this back, don't you?" He then threw it into the distance, knowing full well she could catch it in time. "Then go get it!"

Raine shrieked and abandoned the vase to go get the crest then come back so she could throttle her brother.

The man looked a little weirded out, but accepted the vase back from Colette. "Um, thanks… I shouldn't really be out here right now, but I had to get this back."

"Sorry, the Professor's a little nutty when it comes to ruins and artifacts and stuff like that." Lloyd laughed.

The man blinked. "By the way, what are you all doing here? Nobody's dared to come here since Valcov awoken."

"We are here to slay the dragon and free all the people, including our friend." Presea said monotonously.

"Oh! I received a message that you were coming!" He said and shook Lloyd's hand. "My name is Daishou, and I was instructed to help the Eternal Swordsman and his companions when they got here."

Lloyd scratched his head sheepishly. "That's cool, messages sure travel fast around here. I'm Lloyd and these are my friends Genis, Colette, Sheena, Presea and Professor Sage is the one who stole the vase." He said pointing at each of them respectively.

Speaking of the Professor, she had just returned like a furious bull and was now chasing Genis around the village, screaming.

"Um… I was going to bring you to my home to assist you all, but seeing as they're-" Daishou started but was cut off by Sheena.

"Don't worry they're always like this. They'll be able to find their way eventually." She said.

Daishou looked unsure but led the way anyway. They walked for a few moments, passing damaged streets and homes along the way, some of which were also fairly charred. He told about their village along the way like how their ancestors found it after the Kharlan War exactly as it was today. The many pictures and writings on the walls were tales of people from long ago who had fought Valcov and sent the beast to a deep slumber. Unfortunately, the rest of the story had worn away so they couldn't find out how to make Valcov sleep again. The red earth didn't look like it was rich enough but surprisingly it was excellent land for growing crops and farming. There was even a natural fountain nearby. As they walked though, they couldn't help but see all the villagers peeking from their windows to stare at them all incredulously.

"Well, this is my home." Daishou announced and they came to a stop to admire it.

It was another clay home, like all the others, but had some grass and trees growing nearby it. It was slightly larger than the others and looked like it could sustain a fairly large family. There were three large horses outside the home as well; one was a male that was bay colored, brown with a black mane and tail, another male was a pinto, white with brown splotches all over, and the last was a female palomino, with a white mane and tail. The door suddenly opened and out came a woman and two children.

"Daishou, hun, are these the people you told me about?" She asked, now obvious she was his wife.

"Yes, this is the Eternal Swordsman and his companions, two others will be here in a moment." Daishou said.

"You don't have to call me by my title," Lloyd said embarrassedly. "Just call me Lloyd."

"Okay, Lloyd, this is my wife, Lilly Kinomiya, and my son and daughter, Takao and Rei." Daishou introduced.

"Pleased to meet you." Lilly smiled warmly and the kids clung shyly to her dress.

"I do not mean to be rude, but we have to hurry." Presea informed.

"I'm sure Zelos is alright, but I have to agree with Presea." Sheena sighed.

"Why did you bring us here?" Colette asked.

Daishou scratched the back of his head. "From here on out, you'll be unable to hike the trail. I noticed a couple of you flew up here before but they probably won't be able to sustain each of you for the long distance. Plus, we were going to offer you some armor," He picked up a scrapped up breastplate that looked like it was going to fall apart at any moment. "But I see you already have a fancy set of armor on each of you."

Sheena laughed nervously, trying to be polite. "Uh, thanks for the offer though…"

"How are we going to hike the trail if we cannot get up by foot?" Presea asked, always being one with the task at hand.

Lilly patted the creamy mare's long neck. "You're going to borrow our horses for the journey up the mountain."

"Oh wow!" Colette beamed and went up to the horses. "They're so cute!"

"I wonder if they'll be like riding Noishe." Lloyd thought out loud as he inspected the bay colored horse.

"I'm glad you like them." Daishou said smiling. "Just keep in mind you have them for the ride up. They won't go near the entrance to Valcov's Nest so you'll have to let them find their way back. Don't worry though, it's easier to come down then it is to go up."

"I've never ridden a horse before. We never had them in Mizuho." Sheena said patting the pinto's splotched nose.

"Genis and the Professor have returned." Presea announced as she peeked from behind the large animal.

The sorcerer had gained a few lumps on his head and the Professor did not look impressed as she walked with her hands on her hips.

"Professor! We get to ride horses!" Colette called out like an excited child.

Raine blinked. "Horses?"

"Yup, our family's pride and joys." Lilly pointed out.

Genis went face to face with the bay colored horse that Lloyd was patting. "They look safe enough. Are we just going to ride them as they are?" The horse sighed through its nose.

"Don't worry, we'll tack 'em up and send you on the road ASAP." Daishou said and went into the small barn beside his house to get the equipment.

Little Rei and Takao walked away from the safety of their mother to go to the horses that were being examined by the heroes. Rei tugged at Presea's black coat to get her attention.

"Please be careful with Xai, she's my horse." She said and rubbed the palomino's nose.

Presea quickly realized that Rei was talking about the palomino, which was apparently called, 'Xai' (Pronounced: z-eye). "We will not harm them. They will be released once we reach our destination."

Though Rei didn't understand a thing that Presea said, since she was around six, she still felt reassured by her words. "Thank you."

"Same goes for Rambler!" Takao shouted as he hugged the bay colored horse.

Lloyd and Genis smiled at him. "How about we go and give Daishou a hand?" Lloyd suggested as he watched the said man hobble through the door with a large saddle.

They walked into the barn and picked out the saddles as directed by Lilly. The girls carried them with ease while the men struggled a bit, so they ended up getting the bridles, and the beautiful feeling of humiliation. The poor horses were torn away from their happy lives of grazing and led to the house where they were tacked and strapped up in all their gear. The saddles were leather with worn gold plating here and there outside the seat. It had a large horn at the front and a long seat, fit for two people at a time. The bridles were also worn leather but fit comfortably and strong around the horses' heads.

A thought struck Lloyd's mind. "Wait a minute, there are only three horses and six of us. "

"You'll have to ride in pairs then." Daishou stated.

"I'll ride with you Lloyd!" Sheena said suddenly and Colette looked surprised.

"But I probably can't handle a horse by myself; I need someone stronger to help me." Colette said with a hint of miff in her tone.

Sheena and Colette stared each other, neither one really the type for fighting each other so they sent messages to each other through their expressions. Genis looked back longingly at Presea then back at the confused Lloyd, sensing the tension between the girls, and made a decision that he did not want to make.

"How about I ride with Lloyd? That way, everyone's happy!" He laughed nervously then added silently to himself, "Except me…"

After glancing at each other once more, Sheena and Colette silently agreed that if one of them couldn't have Lloyd, then neither could and took partners with the other two women.

Genis glared at Lloyd. "Way to save your ass, eh?"

Lloyd blinked. "You swear?"

Genis groaned at Lloyd's obliviousness, but decided to humor him for once. "I picked up the habit when Raine and I separated for a while. I earn triple the smackings when I say it around her."

Lloyd laughed as he examined the stirrup on the saddle, wondering what it was for. "You actually tried around the Professor!"

"It slipped out!" Genis flared, remembering the time he slipped out an 'F-Bomb' when he stubbed his toe. "And you put your foot in that thing to pull yourself on top of the horse." He added, noticing Rambler was getting annoyed with Lloyd's constant pulling on his side.

"You mount like that? Why don't you just hop on top like I do with Noishe?" Lloyd as he gripped the edges of the saddle, readying himself to jump up.

Genis panicked. "No Lloyd! Wait until we get help first! I don't want to read a headline tomorrow entitled: 'Eternal Swordsman, Lloyd Irving's Death by Horse!'"

Lloyd scowled and ignored him. "Relax, quit being such a goody-goody."

He went to heave himself and his weight caused the saddle to slowly slide its way down the horse's side, causing it extreme discomfort and glared back at Lloyd. Daishou came by and smacked his forehead.

"Lloyd, we don't have as nice quality stuff so it won't fit the horses quite as snuggly as a newer one. You need assistance before you get on the horse and you have to make sure you are well balanced or else that'll happen again." He explained and went to work fixing the saddle once again.

Genis and Lloyd stood back a bit. "Told you, Lloyd..."

"Shut up, Genis."

The others had already gotten on the horses in pairs, Sheena and Raine on who they learned to be Aries, and Colette and Presea on Xai. Raine and Presea were leading and trying out the horses, a little clumsy with them. Raine kept on backing Aries into Xai who had a spat for a moment before following Presea's orders again. Once Lloyd and Genis finally got on, Rambler ended up being lazy and ate grass while Lloyd tugged at the reins and kicked in vain. Daishou, Lilly and the kids all watched from the side as the horses walked in random directions and Lloyd cursed and shouted at his horse, Genis making fun of him the whole time.

"These are the kids who saved Symphonia?" Daishou said in disbelief as he went to assist the two boys.

"I'm sure they're wonderful." Lilly said, trying more to convince herself, as her children shouted words of wisdom to the 'heroes'.

**- X -**

The redheaded swordsman sat at the edge of the cage, his head hanging through the bars. Hunger had overcome him at some point during the day and he regretfully took Chocolat's offer of the 'rabbit'. He had only taken one bite, ended up getting violently sick and had been sitting there ever since, Chocolat kneeling beside him rubbing his back soothingly and holding back his hair just in case. Valcov hadn't been too impressed with the smell so he held his head outside the volcano into the fresh air, muttering curses and ordering his servant dragons to cook the leftovers a bit next time.

"Are you feeling any better?" Chocolat asked for the fifth time that day.

Zelos had been feeling better for a while now, but he enjoyed the attention too much to say he was. "A… bit…" He fakes groaning.

The other people in the cage hadn't said a single thing or moved an inch. They were just there to fill up space in the cage he guessed. Zelos had been bored most of the time since Chocolat didn't have much to say. So believe it or not, he decided to form a plan incase the others didn't get here in time. He had known he could easily escape from the cage, but he couldn't take on four dragons at once and come out alive, so he thought gravely that he would have to be the decoy and somehow get the Flame Crest to Chocolat before he was done for. He hoped that things wouldn't come to that and that he could get out of this alive. Valcov's head perking up caught his attention as the large dragon spoke to its underlings and then they flew away, leaving the only the large dragon. Zelos assumed he had sent the dragons off to look for food or something, but this time was as good as ever to attempt to escape.

He stood up startling Chocolat. "Mr. Zelos? Are you okay?"

The redhead drew his sword and was about to concentrate for a spell but Valcov's booming voice caught his attention. "Don't try it kid. Even without my underlings, I can devour you within moments." His golden gaze turned on the magic swordsman with a glare.

Zelos grinned. "I don't care!" He jumped into the air and focused his flaming determination to his sword. "HELL PYRE!" He swung his Excalibur, causing a large fireball to form and sent it flying into the bars, instantly melting them apart. "Get out of here! I'll distract, Lizard-Breath!"

The remaining people did not waste any time dashing out of the cage, seeing as the dragon's main focus was on the redhead. Chocolat was hesitant staring back from the exit as the Zelos jumped in to attack the dragon. She noticed that he wasn't actually going for Valcov, but the red jewel-like object in the nest. Zelos hopped along the pillars that stuck out from the lava, each threatening to fall as he pushed off one foot after the other. He glanced back to see Chocolat standing there in awe, much to his displeasure but more to his delight. If he could get the crest, then he could get it to Chocolat and she could take it to his friends. Chances are it wasn't for him anyway, like the previous crests were for his hunnies. Valcov blew out fire at him, narrowly missing him each time, but he was too quick to be caught and finally reached the nest. He outstretched his hand hoping he could reach for the crest in time…

…but Valcov's tail hit him first, sending him plummeting towards the pit of lava.

"ZELOS!" Chocolat screamed, feeling tears well up in her eyes

She stared down into the crater of the volcano hopefully. Something caught her eye just meters away from the fiery pit that made her cry out happily. At the last second, Zelos had plunged his sword into the side of a pillar and was hanging there catching his breath and sweating heavily, molten ash entering his lungs. Quickly, he withdrew his sword and pushed off the pillar to another close by, making his way up and sticking his sword in the sides for support.

Valcov grew bored quickly and flew down after him. "You just won't die will you?"

Zelos panicked as the gaping jaws grew closer to him then got a last second idea. He pushed off the pillar as hard as he could, narrowly escaping those needle teeth, but his jacket got snagged on one of its scales and he was forced against the dragons back as it flew. His original plan was just to land on its back but things don't always work out as planned with Zelos. He shouted as the dragon flew in the air, outside the volcano, and performed twists and turns in vain attempt to get the boy off his back.

"STOP THE RIDE I WANNA GET OFF!" Zelos wailed clinging to one of the scales, as Valcov dove straight down.

"Then let go!" Valcov snarled and halted in midair.

Zelos, dizzy from all the aerials, managed to catch sight of three horses coming up the side of the mountain with his companions riding each of them in pairs. He knew he was going to regret it, but how often was he going to be suspended in the air staring down at his friends from on top of a dragon? He did a foolish thing. He waved.

"HEY BUD- AHHH!"

Valcov had taken advantage of his distracted form and dove down once more, leaving Zelos to freefall to his doom. Zelos could faintly hear the rest shouting out his name over his own screams. There was nothing he could do. Anywhere he could land would be fatal and he was too high up for Genis or Colette, who were flying up to him, to reach him in time. He looked down to see that Valcov had his mouth open, awaiting the taste of his flesh. Death seemed inevitable. Unless…

Something sparked into his mind, something that would definitely save him. He didn't like it though but there was no other choice. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the prayers that Colette had muttered before.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, GRANT ME THY STRENGTH!" Zelos shouted the last bit out desperately.

It worked. He could feel his Chosen Mana flowing through his back, sprouting the orange feathered wings he damned so much, but never had he been so happy to have them. He had barely managed to change course away from Valcov's mouth, grabbed the Elemental Crest and tossed it to Chocolat immediately.

"Lloyd and the others are coming right now! Take the crest and get out of here NOW!" Zelos commanded as he raised his sword just in time to block Valcov's claws.

Chocolat caught the crest shakily and looked back in shock as Zelos was sliced at and batted into the wall. She felt the tears fall as she ran in shame. Zelos watched her go as he wiped the blood from his mouth and peeled himself from the Zelos-shaped hole he had just made. His wings, unlike Colette's, took a lot of mana to maintain because he hadn't drawn them since that fateful day when he was young. Still, he had to stall long enough for the others to get there.

He pushed off the wall and held his sword in front of him, ready to strike Valcov. _"You better hurry up and get here guys, or else I'll haunt you all in your sleep if I die!"_

**- X -**

"He's okay!" Genis shouted as he and Colette flew back to meet the others who had pulled their horses into trots, seeing as that was all they could really do at the moment. "He managed to summon his wings at the last second!"

"He's still in trouble though, we have to hurry!" Colette cried as she landed back on the saddle behind Presea.

"Damnit!" Lloyd cursed as he kicked Rambler to go faster, now bringing it to a canter, even though the horse was already pushing itself to its limits, while Genis flew by his side on his staff.

"The entrance is up ahead! I can see it!" Raine shouted, and let Sheena point for her since she wouldn't dare let go of the reins at this velocity.

There was indeed an opening to the mountain and they pulled the horses to a halt before they ran into it or any of the people running out. They dismounted quickly and left the horses to do whatever they needed to get back down the mountain. They were just about to enter when somebody skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Chocolat!" Lloyd gasped. "What are you-?"

"There's no time!" She sobbed and hugged the crest to her stomach. "Zelos is fighting back there and losing! He told me to come and get you all!"

Presea wanted to question about the Elemental Crest but decided against it, seeing Chocolat so scared. "Lead the way." Saving Zelos was their first priority at the moment.

As soon as they entered the cave, they all felt the heat wash over their bodies and sweat drip. The walls were covered in black shiny stones that reflected the red coming from the end of the tunnel. Molten ash and soot was all that could be inhaled causing them all to cough. Once it all cleared they could see the horrifying scene in full play. Zelos was burnt, beaten and bloody, his wings flickering weakly, as he hung in the dragon's iron grip, barely conscious. His grip on his sword was loosening but he continued to hang on. Valcov threw him aside and swung his tail to send his battered form back into the wall, but Colette got there first and caught him, Chocolat and Raine running over to him.

"Damn you!" Lloyd shouted and drew his blue-hilted blades. "You'll pay for this!"

Valcov roared in laughter. "That fool told me himself that he didn't care about death, so he foolishly made the attempt!"

"We will see who finishes this then!" Presea said rather hoarsely for some strange reason as she drew her axe and coughed.

Genis looked at her worriedly before he subconsciously cleared his throat and felt a little light headedness coming on. He tried to ignore it though as Sheena made the first move, concentrating her Sylva Seals to send Lloyd the needed ice element reinforcements before drawing her ice-enchanted Ofuda and heading in. Genis began to cast his ice element attacks, finding it rather difficult to concentrate, and Presea found her axe to be a little heavier than usual. Cockily, Valcov had landed on the ledge they were all standing on so they could try their pathetic attempts at harming him.

"Zelos!" Chocolat cried not getting any response from the unconscious knight.

"Zelos, please wake up!" Colette joined in shaking his shoulder.

"Colette, I want you to join the fight. You have the Water Crest now and that may give you an advantage or a new spell like mine did for me." Raine commanded as her staff glowed a soft hue of green which surrounded Zelos. "I have everything under control here."

Colette looked hesitant, but rejoined the fray, drawing her Angel's Halo chakrams. Lloyd was hacking away at the massive dragon's scales, freezing bits and pieces of its black scales with his ice enchanted swords, but was thrown back when a blast of fire was blown at him, throwing up his shield in just the nick of time. Sheena jumped to the side before Lloyd hit her and threw several of her cards into the vital parts of the dragon. They only got stuck in Valcov's scales but then they burst into giant balls of ice that surrounded the specific parts.

"Now Genis!" Sheena shouted noticing Presea's weak attempts to do damage.

"Okay, ICE-" Genis found it oddly painful and breath-taking to shout and ended up coughing violently, his ice spell drifting around the dragon like a cool breeze instead.

"What the hell?" Lloyd thought out loud and ran to his friend who had dropped to one knee and sounded like he was having an asthma attack. "Genis, what's wrong!" He demanded skidding to his side.

Genis couldn't get anything vocal out and his eyes widened when Presea was knocked back with them, looking to be having the same problem as the sorcerer. Valcov had broken out of the ice prison and had taken flight away from Sheena's reach. Knowing he wouldn't be able to fight like this, Genis weakly took his staff and summoned the small wings to grow larger and held it up to Lloyd who was trying to help Presea.

Lloyd looked horrified. "Genis… You can still fight, can't you?" The sorcerer shook his head. "But I don't know how to use your staff, let alone do magic or fly."

Genis gave him a look that clearly said, "Trust me", along with a reassuring smile before he fell back unconscious.

"GENIS!" Lloyd shouted and saw that Presea had fallen out as well. "PRESEA! PROFESSOR, HELP US!"

Raine wasted no time getting over there as she and Chocolat dragged Zelos' body over. Sheena, Lloyd and Colette were able to distract the dragon while Raine checked their vital signs and the regular procedure she used till she came to a conclusion.

"They've been poisoned…" She held her staff up for a Purify spell but it had no effect whatsoever. "What the, why isn't my healing working..?" She also noticed that Zelos' wounds were beginning to bleed profusely again and came to a decision she didn't want to make. "We have to retreat for now! We have the Elemental Crest so we've done what we came to do!" Raine shouted and they all abandoned the battle.

Raine picked up her brother, Lloyd took Presea and Colette handled Zelos on her own. Along with worry for their friends, their main thoughts were of having failed the people who had expected the dragon to die at their hands.

"I don't think so!" Valcov snarled and left the volcano from the top to meet them all as they left the volcano and blasted a large ball of fire at them from its mouth.

Colette heard something weird, a drip of water, before she noticed that her Water Crest was flaring to life. She felt a sudden power wash over her and handed Zelos to Sheena, who reluctantly took him, as she floated before the giant ball of hellfire and began chanting words she never knew she knew.

"Oh, Maiden of the Mists, Undine, spirit of the waters, grant me thy power!" She opened her eyes and her wings turned pure liquid blue and she held her arms out in front of her. "TSUNAMI!"

Clear blue mana swirled around her body and shot out in a giant burst which drenched the fire into nothing and ended up hitting Valcov in the process. The dragon re-orientated itself and was about to snarl a string of curses at them when he realized they were all gone. With a snort, he flew back to the volcano to rest seeing as he had taken some damage during the fight. He would get his revenge… some day…

**- X -**

**Aisu:** I bet you were all thinking it was going to end up like the other chapters and have the Guardian defeated then move along. Well, not quite, but they still got the crest. Instead, the Guardian is still alive and can come back when you least expect it, three party members are down, AND they have no clue where the next crests are. Fun, eh? Just some things I want to NOT have any critique on:

_Poison:_ It'll be gone over next chapter.

_Zelos' 'Bright' Idea: _I could just see him wanting to wave. The chant thing was probably unnessessary but that'll be gone over next chapter as well.

_Colette's Attack:_ I thought it was appropriate, had a prayer and everything. At least its better than my idea for Raine's.

_Horses: _The horses actually exist in real life. Rambler is my horse -hugs him- while the others are a few of my favorites at the barn. Therefore, I don't own the other two. I had to imply horses somehow in this story. XD;

_Colloydna: _Yes, I have no clue what I like better, Colloyd or Sheeloyd. So I made a bit of a triangle in this story. You can see more hints in the future. Only hints, no real romance since I suck at it!

_Kinomiya Family:_ A cookie to anyone who can figure out what anime I was referring to when I made this family. Ignore Daishou and Lilly and focus on Takao (Tyson), Rei (Ray) and the last name Kinomiya (Dubbed it's Granger).

Yes, I'm rushing this because I'm supposed to be in bed right now, sorry! Next update next Friday as usual! Please leave a review, I always appreciate them!


	11. Illness

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do However Own any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu:** :DWow! Six reviews last chapter! Thanks guys! Thank you **linkkidd, Star Girl11, Miori101, ShadowofUndine, kemix** and **Kitsu Kurasei** for reviewing last chapter and to all the people who simply read along!

Cookies to the people who guessed Beyblade last chapter. I used to be a bit of a fanatic about it. XD; Takao and Rei were two of the Bladebreakers and Kinomiya is Takao's last name.

Thank you **ShadowofUndine** for pointing out about Sheena's Sylva Seals last chapter. I did a little checkup on the game and her ice seals should have ACTUALLY been called 'Tethe Seals'. I never realized Sylva was actually short for Sylvarant up until now. XD;

-yawns- Ugh, school's coming... by the way, updates may NOT occur as frequently starting September. I will be without a computer and unable to get them up since the computer I'm using at the moment is my brother's and he's moving out. ToH might be updated, since I have several backup chapters, but I'll have a hard time typing my other stories. Just warning you ahead of time, UNLESS I can get a new computer or my sister let's me use her stupid laptop.

Anyways, enjoy! It starts out weepy but it isn't as serious for the rest.

- X -

Chapter 11: Illness

Lloyd sighed as he stood outside the door to Daishou and Lilly's room. They had barely managed to escape Valcov thanks to Colette's new attack, and slide down the mountain side due to the easier terrain and reach Daishou's home where they had to break the news. They ignored the fact that Valcov had not been defeated and paid more attention to unconscious part of the group, taking care of them first. They had been in there for almost an hour now, Genis and Presea being eaten at from the inside by poison while Zelos almost bleeding to death, being treated by Raine, Lilly and Daishou. Thinking back to his half elf friend, he twirled Genis' staff absentmindedly between his fingers. Why had he given him his staff when he had no clue how to even use it? Come to think of it, he must've extended the wings as well for a reason.

Lloyd glanced at the others sitting around the living room, all with the same sullen mood. Colette and Sheena both were slumped on the couch, the blond looking slightly disheveled from her attack while the other was plain worried. The kids, Takao and Rei, were also there, confused by their sad faces. Chocolat had left to take the other people who had been captured back to Hima, but she demanded that they tell her if the others were okay when they came back. They promised.

Lloyd was snapped out of his thoughts when the door squeaked open and Raine walked out. She looked like a wreck, fatigued and depressed, as she used her staff to hold herself upright.

"How are they?" Lloyd asked quietly, helping the Professor to the armchair where she could sit.

Raine sighed deeply and rubbed her head. "Zelos will make a full recovery. I spent most of my mana trying to seal all his wounds, especially on his back."

Sheena perked up. "His back? What happened there?"

"His wings… unlike Colette's, they didn't materialize. They literally tore through his skin to get out, leaving critical damage."

"That's what happens when you don't get them through the Journey of Regeneration." Colette said sadly. "I read it in one of my books; the Cruxis Crystal needs the powers of Cruxis in order to appear purely. Otherwise, they'll malfunction and be forced through the skin."

Raine glanced at Sheena. "Did Zelos ever complete the Journey?"

"No, the bum just received his crystal and gave up saying it was too troublesome to do at the moment." She answered with a weak chuckle.

"That would explain a lot…" Raine sighed and looked down.

Lloyd knew she was waiting for his next question, so he asked. "What about Genis and Presea?"

The Professor never met his gaze. "They're… not going to make it…"

Lloyd's eyes widened dramatically, the girls gasping, and after a few moments, he slammed his fist on the table, causing to the two kids to jump in fright. "What do you mean they're not going to make it!"

Raine rubbed her eyes, trying so hard not to let her emotions leak out. "The poison has contaminated their bloodstreams and is now working its way their hearts. I've subdued the poison flow slightly, but it's only postponing the inevitable. Soon their hearts will stop and…" She couldn't even bring herself to end her sentence.

"So! You're a healer! You can help them! You can-" Lloyd shouted.

"What do you think I've been trying to do all that time!" Raine snapped unexpectedly, causing Lloyd to back off slightly. "I'm… sorry… I didn't mean to shout…" She cupped her hand over her eyes shamefully. She felt sick to her stomach.

Lloyd stared at her, eyes full of sympathy. "You have every right to be upset, Professor. But it's not just you who's losing someone special, we all are. We're losing both of them… We'll be there for you, always."

The door opened once again and Lilly stepped out. "Zelos is awake."

They nodded and got up to enter the room leaving Takao and Rei to play in the living room alone. It broke their hearts to see their two youngest members so sick. Both were panting and very pale, wrapped in blankets and Genis seemed to be even turning a bit green. Daishou was there wringing out damp cloths to put on their feverish foreheads. Zelos was on another bed slumped over upright and staring at them sullenly. His torso was tightly bound in bandages along with other parts of his body that had been deeply burnt and/or sliced open. His previous bandages from the scales had been thrown away and replaced by fresh ones. Raine sat on the edge of the bed to brush the silver fringe from her Genis' eyes, casting her green mana into his forehead to try to calm his mind.

"Not even I can find something witty to say at a time like this." Zelos muttered.

Sheena had to look away. "So, how's your back?"

"Sucks, but what can you do?" He stated bluntly with a weak shrug and winced.

They were all silent till they heard the pink-haired ax wielder start to stir a bit. "Wh…ere am… I..?" She coughed a few times.

Raine approached her side, Daishou getting out of the way, so that Presea could see her. "You're going to be fine, dear. Don't push yourself."

Presea didn't look convinced but didn't reply. She just ended up falling back into unconsciousness. Colette couldn't take it anymore.

"Isn't there anything we can do!" She cried out, Lloyd draping his arm around her shoulders so that she could cry on him.

"Couldn't we take them to Flanoir to a real doctor?" Sheena suggested, Raine's head perking up. "It's not far from here."

"I don't see the harm." Lloyd said. "We can't let them die like this!"

"We're not." Raine got up and gathered up Genis in her arms. "We need to find a cure. I'm not letting my brother or Presea die without a fight."

Everyone stared up at her astonished. "I'll get some extra blankets." Lilly said and left the room quickly.

"I'll come with you." Daishou said and stood up.

"But you don't have a Rheaird." Zelos pointed out. "Genis or Presea's would be too small for you, plus I was planning on riding my own."

Raine thought for a moment then noticed Genis' staff in Lloyd's grip. "Daishou can use Lloyd's Rheaird."

Lloyd's head shot up. "Then how am I getting there?"

"You can use Genis' staff. It's all prepared for flight and everything."

"But I don't know how to use this thing."

"Those whom Genis trusts can use it. If you truly care about his safety, then it will work. All you have to do is control it."

"But how?"

Raine gave him a serious look just as Lilly came back in with thick blankets. "You'll be fine. As long as you have good balance, you'll have nothing to worry about."

Lloyd stared at her back as she wrapped up the two children in blankets, preparing them for the brisk air of Flanoir. He decided to test Raine's knowledge and walked out of the house holding the staff out in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, imagining how painful it would be to sit on the narrow pole, when suddenly the wings began to flap and he was pulled into the air shouting and kicking, never releasing his grip. He flew up a ways till he was outside the window his friends were behind. Colette saw him and ran to the window, opening it.

"Lloyd! How did you get all the way up here?" Colette asked innocently.

"Erm… this thing…" Lloyd let go with one of his hands to refer to the staff.

"Wow, you got it to work!" Colette praised.

Lloyd scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Suddenly the staff jerked causing him to lose his grip and fall face flat to the ground. Shining Radiance stopped flapping and fell down onto Lloyd's head as he was getting up.

"Lloyd, are you okay!" Colette cried, leaning so far out the window that she could've fallen out herself. And she did… and landed right on top of Lloyd in the process. "Oops, I'm sorry, Lloyd!" She apologized as she got off.

"Damnit…" Lloyd's voice was muffled by the dirt his face was stuck in and lifted his head to glare at the staff.

"Lloyd, we've got to get going now! Quit your dawdling." Raine said as she came out with a bundled up Genis followed by Daishou with Presea also wrapped in blankets. Sheena quickly followed and began setting up the Rheairds, both adults setting the kids on them.

Lloyd stumbled to his feet just as Zelos and Lilly walked out as well as Rei and Takao. "The stupid staff has a mind of its own!"

Zelos wandered over to him. "Hey, do you have that Elemental Crest still?"

Lloyd dug around in his pocket and pulled out the ruby crest. "Yeah, but it doesn't react to me at all."

"Give it to me then." The redhead more demanded then asked.

Lloyd complied and gave the crest to Zelos and it immediately started to flare to life with ruby light. New power encircled them all and their weapons changed from their light blue color to a deep hue of red.

"Well isn't that the damnedest thing? I guess my heroics were worth it." Zelos laughed before he noticed something strange. "Hey, my back doesn't hurt anymore!"

Lloyd looked back at their friends, Colette trying to help in any way possible. "It doesn't look like it helped Genis or Presea though." He said gravely.

Zelos crossed his arms after pocketing the Flame Crest. "I guess it only helps physical pain." He looked down at the now red staff Lloyd was holding. "Would you like Mr. Zelos to give you a boost with that?" He asked as if he were talking to a small child.

Lloyd scowled and mounted the staff. "I'm just fine, thank you very- AHHH!" He fell onto his butt as the staff zoomed out from under him.

Zelos was laughing himself to tears. "Very graceful, Mr. Eternal Swordsman!" He only laughed harder when the staff ricocheted back and plunked Lloyd in the forehead. "You're being 'owned' by a freakin' staff!"

"Zelos, get your ass over here!" Sheena shouted.

"Sorry bud, my hunny calls. Good luck with flying on that thing though!" Zelos did a little 'ta ta' motion with his hand before leaving with a mini hop-skip.

Lloyd growled under his breath and tried his hardest to refrain from destroying Genis' staff into pieces. He watched as everyone's Rheairds were now leaving the ground and drifting into the sky in the direction of Flanoir at full speed. He felt a nudge behind him and saw that Rambler was standing there lazily, still fully tacked since Daishou and Lilly had been too caught up in helping with their sick companions.

"He must like you." He heard Takao say as he trotted up to them. "He doesn't usually like strangers."

Rei who was behind him caught sight of the staff Lloyd had set vertically in the ground. "Wow, it's so pretty! Can I try flying on it? Please?" She put extra emphasis on the please.

Lloyd didn't think he could trust a child on this wild thing, let alone HIMSELF. Lilly saved him the trouble of declining.

"Rei, dear, Lloyd needs to use this staff to fly to Flanoir with his friends. He's in a hurry." She said firmly earning an 'aww…' from her daughter.

Lloyd sighed and attempted to mount the staff again, his determination and fear for his friends' health guiding him. Suddenly, the staff jerked up and started to flap gently, lifting him slowly into the air. A big smile of triumph graced his face. If it weren't for the fact that he was quite uncomfortable, he would've been happier.

"You did it!" Takao cheered and tried to calm down his horse that was a little nervous about the once dormant staff.

Lloyd swooped around for a few moments trying to maintain his balance before diving down and grabbing his bag from the ground. "Thanks for all your hospitality! We'll come back to get rid of Valcov in the future! For now, he should be quieter." He waved and flew into the sky.

"GOOD LUCK LLOYD! I PACKED YOU SOME EXTRA GOODS IN YOUR PACK!" Lilly shouted till he was nothing but a dot in the sky.

It felt good to be air-born and not have a loud engine distracting him. The only thing he could hear was the wind whistling in his ears and the gentle beating of the wings every so often, otherwise they were just gliding through the sky at a very fast pace. At this rate, he thought he could catch up to his friends. It was still unnerving though, not having anything to support his feet while kilometers in the air. A single mistake could be fatal. He subconsciously gripped the pole tighter.

"**Lloyd…"**

Lloyd yelped and gripped the staff with his legs linked under him. "Who said that!"

"**It is I, Origin."**

"Origin? Can't you see I'm flying through the air on nothing but a pole with wings! You nearly made me fall!"

"**I apologize, but I am about to connect you to a conversation with Kratos."**

"Huh, dad?" Lloyd relaxed slightly.

"**Hello, Lloyd."**

"Hey Dad, what's up?"

There was a pause in the transmission. **"Nothing but the ceiling of the Cruxis control room. Why would you ask me something like that?"**

Lloyd laughed. "I meant how you are."

"**Oh. I suppose I am fine, but there's no time for idle chit-chat."** There was a sound of him clearing his throat. **"We have managed to stall the Sithom Comet with a barrier using Derris Kharlan's mana. I received word from Yuan what you were planning on doing to attempt to stop the comet. How is your quest doing?"**

"We're doing well so far! We've collected three of the Elemental Crests, but now we're stuck."

"**What do you mean?"**

"Where do I start..?" Lloyd sighed and shut his eyes. "First of all, at the previous location, we not only failed to defeat the Guardian, but Genis and Presea ended up being poisoned somehow and now we have no idea how to cure them. If the doctor at Flanoir can't help… then we'll probably lose them…"

"**Hm…"** Kratos didn't know how to reply to that.

"Secondly, we have no leads to the next Elemental Crests. We found all the ones on the map scrap we have already. We have no clues where the other pieces of the map are."

"**Well that I can help you with."** Lloyd was shocked as he heard the sounds of a keyboard of sorts. **"You're in luck. There is a group of travelers in the Ice Continental region also seeking the Elemental Crests… Damnit, they're in Ausuei Village." **(Pronounced: Oh-sue-eh)

"Ausuei Village?" Lloyd asked.

"**It's a little known village that is now filled with bandits and others of the sort. They're not to be messed with because they're large in numbers and fight to survive. Their quote is Live no Evil, which is ironic because when you turn it backwards, they're called: Live on Evil."**

"That means we have to fight these people for the other piece of the map?"

"**Most likely, you'll have to proceed with caution."**

"No problem! Just tell me where we have to go to find this Ausuei Village place!"

"**Heh, you're as impatient as ever."** Kratos explained the location it was in the ice continent carefully since he would only be able to say it once. **"I'll call you again if anything comes up. I wish you luck, Lloyd, my son."**

"Thanks Dad!" With that, the transmission ended.

Lloyd finally jogged back into reality and noticed that his friends were just ahead of him so he willed the staff to go faster. Soon he caught up and was flying along side his companions.

"Lloyd, you finally made it." Raine said with a grin.

"What took you so long?" Sheena asked as she pulled her Rheaird closer to Lloyd.

"Oh nothing, I just had a few minor difficulties." He replied cheerfully as he swooped underneath Sheena's Rheaird to get to the middle of the party. "I spoke to Kratos just now."

"How could you do that?" Colette asked.

"Origin linked us into a conversation. Anyways, he told me where to find the next piece of the map so that we could continue with searching for the crests." Lloyd explained.

Raine's Rheaird abruptly slowed down and bashed Sheena's out of the way so she was beside him now. "He told you where the next crests were!"

Lloyd looked back uneasily to see Sheena regaining control of her Rheaird before glancing back at the Professor's scary happy expression. "Um… just… the map piece."

"TELL ME WHERE IT IS!" Raine shouted causing everyone to nearly fall off their Rheairds in surprise.

"Um… a group of people in a place called Ausuei Village… they have it…" Lloyd stuttered.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd looked up in thought. "TELL ME LLOYD IRVING!"

"AHH!" Lloyd screamed as he fell off in fright, the staff going after him.

Everyone glared at Raine. "… Oops…" She muttered weakly.

The staff flew back up towards the party, Lloyd clinging to it like a frightened cat. He glared at Raine as well, causing her to feel fear of her own student for the first time.

"Um, sorry Lloyd dear. What was it you meant before?" Raine tried to ask as sweetly as possible.

Lloyd tried to remember what Kratos had said before. "It's a bunch of bandits in Ausuei Village. They're apparently trying to find the Elemental Crests as well, and luckily, they're currently located near Flanoir. Their quote is: Live no Evil. But Dad didn't mention what they were called though."

"Damn…" They both turned their attention to Sheena when they heard her curse. "I know who they are."

"What? Tell us Sheena?" Lloyd asked.

"They're Mizuho's rivaling clan. They're called the Anubis and they were once apart of Mizuho, but were banished due to discrimination. This happened before I was even born so I had no part in it. But they have attacked our village many times trying to get revenge." Sheena explained.

"Why were the people of Mizuho discriminating against them?" Colette asked.

"I don't know how it happened, but somehow, a new race of humans with wolven blood emerged. They had the features of a wolf such as their ears and a tail, but the most frightening part of them was their eyes. My people were frightened by the strange half-breeds so they began shunning them and casting them off, not wanting anything to do with them. The Anubis then began to steal and turn to thievery in order to survive. That was the last straw and they were banished from the village." Sheena sighed. "Now they've bred into packs, large in numbers, like actual wolves do and attack us spontaneously. So far we've been lucky and have managed to defend again their assaults, but we're growing weaker every time. But now that we've relocated Mizuho, the attacks have stopped. I assume they're just searching for us now."

Zelos and Daishou frowned.

"That's horrible." Colette said sadly.

"Genis and I can relate in some ways." Raine said looking behind her at her brother. "That's why we went on our journey in the first place."

"I can't believe something like that is going on with no one trying to stop it." Lloyd muttered. "I thought your people didn't discriminate."

"They don't anymore!" Sheena said quickly. "It's just, impossible to make peace with them. All of the ninja we send to make peace treaties never return, so I assume they were killed by them."

"We may have to straighten this out ourselves then." Lloyd declared, clenching his fist in front of him.

"The air's getting brisk; we should be arriving at Flanoir soon." Daishou announced as the tall pillars of ice in the distance came into view.

The rest of the flight had been silent, save the roars of the engines of the Rheairds, but soon they came to a slow down and descended just outside of Flanoir. Zelos volunteered to take it easy and pack up the Rheairds so that the others could rush in and waste no time. Colette offered to help him and he greatly appreciated it. The rest of them quickly ran to the doctor's building, shoving aside quite a few people who were in line, much to their anger.

"Hey kid! I've been waiting in line here for hours! You can't just bud in front!" One of the men shouted.

Lloyd turned around to face him. "What are you in line to ask about?"

"I have a cold but that's-"

"You know why you have a freaking cold! Because you're in a cold snowy city called Flanoir for Celsius' sake! Now, if you don't mind, we're taking our friends who are about to DIE to see the doctor!" With that said Lloyd ran in through the door and slammed it shut.

"Doctor, we need help! Our friends are about to die!" Sheena said and removed the curtain surrounding a corner of the room to reveal a very horrifying sight.

The doctor of Flanoir had been about to start an operation when Sheena had interrupted. The scalpel was just an inch away from making an incision in a man's chest.

"My, Sheena, you choose the oddest of times to interrupt my work." He laughed and put away the knife.

"But, what about-"

"Don't worry; she was just in for plastic surgery."

"But I thought she was a he- Oh dear Goddess…" Sheena covered her mouth in mid-sentence and closed the curtains quickly.

"Exactly." The doctor sighed as he came from behind the curtains and snapped on some new rubber gloves. He frowned once his eyes landed on the two kids the party had rested on the spare beds. "What the hell did you all do THIS time?" He proceeded to go through the regular check-up procedure as he listened to them speak.

"We were trying to do away with the dragon Valcov that has awoken in the Hima region and was terrorizing the villages and people. Unfortunately, they were both poisoned somehow and we have no idea how to cure them… I'm sure you can piece together the rest." Lloyd sighed and watched the doctor at work.

Soon, he finished his check-up and looked up at them. "Well, these two are in terrible condition, but luckily you got them here just in time and I think I know how to help them."

There was a noticeable lifting of spirits as smiles spread on everyone's faces. "How can you do that?" Daishou asked.

"Well, it's an advanced form of poison that can't be treated easily so it needs to be nullified. I've never tried this type of antidote before, but it just might work. All I need is a Celsius' Tear and that's YOUR job to get me one." The doctor added.

"But, the Temple of Ice is so far away! We wouldn't make it back in time!" Sheena protested.

"And a Celsius' Tear for a cure is questionable." Raine added. "Also, why weren't we affected?"

"Easy there, ladies, one at a time. I can stall the poison for as long as necessary, you should be able to make it back in no time. And Ms. Sage, I'm not going to use the flower itself for the cure, only the nectar that I will concoct into the cure. You see, the poison in their blood streams is most likely enflamed, since it originated in a volcano, so the Celsius' Tear's nectar will contrast that and nullify the poison." The doctor explained. "As for why you weren't affected… they're pretty young so they must've not have developed an immunity. As you grow older, your body begins to function differently and develop immunities to certain things. I'm not positive really, it could be anything." He shrugged.

"Everything you said… makes quite a bit of sense actually." Raine said thinking about it for a moment. "Lloyd, take Zelos and Colette with you and find the Celsius' Tear. They should be on their way by now. Daishou, Sheena and I will stay here and assist the doctor. You must hurry!"

"Got it, Professor Sage! It's times like this I wish we hadn't sold that other Tear for a measly one-thousand Gald…" Lloyd ran out the door, staff in hand.

Raine turned back to the doctor, but couldn't help but think she forgot something. "So, how do you plan to stall the poison?"

**- X -**

"Whoa bud, slow down!" Zelos said as he caught Lloyd by his scarves just before he skidded out of control on the icy ground.

"There's no time to slow down! We need to find a Celsius' Tear FAST!" Lloyd tugged his scarves out of Zelos' hand before gripping onto both Zelos and Colette's wrists and towing them to the entrance of Flanoir.

"Lloyd, why do you need a Celsius' Tear?" Colette asked.

"It's the cure! If we can get back in time, then we can save Genis and Presea!" He informed her.

"That's wonderful!" Colette beamed and sprouted her wings so she could fly along beside them.

Lloyd paused just outside of the entrance and mounted the staff. "Zelos, get on behind me!"

"Whatever you say." Zelos chirped and sat behind Lloyd and almost immediately they lifted off, causing him to yelp and grip onto Lloyd like a lifeline.

Colette giggled at the sight as they few quickly towards the Temple of Ice. Surprisingly to Lloyd; they made it there and no time and were met with an even more surprising sight. The black creatures were back and destroying the caverns and everything else in sight.

"We haven't seen those ugly things in a long time." Zelos pointed out.

"At the rate they're going, they could have destroyed any traces of Celsius' Tears!" Lloyd growled. "Plus they're really close to Flanoir. Colette, I want you to find the Tear and take it back to Flanoir, while Zelos and I take care of these things!"

"What! When did I agree to something like that!" Zelos wailed while Colette nodded obediently.

"Just now!" Lloyd made the staff dive abruptly and they were off, Zelos screaming the whole way, and Colette drew her chakrams.

Lloyd ordered Zelos to hold onto his waist while he drew his Material Blades. The black creatures didn't know what hit them as Colette sliced through several with her Angel's Halos and Lloyd cut through a line of them then pulled up once more. The creatures caught on and tried to knock them out of the sky with debris and rocks.

"I hope you can land on your feet Zelos." Lloyd said as they dove back in, watching as Colette few inside to find the frozen flower.

"Huh, why- Oh you wouldn't!" Zelos snapped in realization.

Lloyd did. He barrel-rolled causing both him and the redhead to fall off and the staff to flap around in the air, awaiting the command to come back when needed. Lloyd landed safely on his feet while Zelos landed face first in the snow.

"Stop messing around so you can help me!" Lloyd shouted and went on the attack, casting Demon Fang on a few of the monsters.

Zelos struggled for a while before he finally pulled himself free and drew his Excalibur to attack the creatures approaching him. Meanwhile, Colette fought her way into the caverns, against both black creatures and some regular enemies. All the while she kept her eye out for the plant she was looking for till she finally found one on a high ledge. She went to grab it but remembered something important Raine had said once.

"_We need to make Penguinist Gloves or else the Celsius' Tear will burn us."_

"Silly me!" Colette giggled and slipped on the fluffy warm gloves before de-rooting the plant and flying out of there.

She flew out of the cavern and waved at Lloyd to show that she had completed her task before she flew back to Flanoir. Lloyd waved back and then focused back on his targets. Something unexpected happened though. The creature he was charging at held out its arm and a black appendage shot out of it and knocked the wind out of him. The Eternal Swordsman coughed for a moment, clutching his gut, when he realized that his swords had been knocked away and there were several creatures surrounding him. There was no escape so he did the only thing he could, shattering his dignity.

"ZELOS HELP!"

The redhead looked back and immediately went into action to save him. "I'm coming for ya' Bud!" Something caught his eye though that shot out towards where Lloyd was like a blur which caused him to stop.

"OUTBURST!" There were several strikes in the air that crashed down into the monsters and sliced them to pieces.

Lloyd blinked and looked up at his savior. It was a slender man in his twenties with green eyes and a scar running through his left one, small fangs and long black hair tied back in a high ponytail. He wore a black shirt with a ragged brown vest and matching ragged pants with black boots. The strange thing about him though was that he had two brown wolf-like ears sprouting from his head and a long bushy brown tail spouting out through the belt-line of his pants. He held out a black-fingerless gloved hand out to Lloyd.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

**- X -**

**Aisu: **YAY! It's one of my favorite OCs! I wonder who the mysterious guest is though? -grins- I enjoy Lloyd asking Kratos 'what's up' a little too much. I could SO see it happening like that! XD; Also, the Flanoir doctor is also fun to write about! Haha! He performs plastic surgery too!

Don't you hate it when you make irreversable mistakes in chapters? Or you just can't insert an explaination? A couple of mistakes I made were the Rheaird 'sizes' and how Lloyd managed to get the staff to work. Plus putting Daishou there was just plain stupid of me because he has little to no reason to be there. Ah well, what's done is done. -shrugs-

As I said in the first A/N, updates might be scarce starting September when I'll have no computer. I'll ask my sister if she'll let me use her computer to update though!

Next chapter: Who's this mysterious guest who saved Lloyd and what'll happen to our sick heroes? Also, with the help of Kratos' knowledge, will they be able to find the other Elemental Crests? Next update next Friday! Till then, please leave a review!


	12. Ausuei Village

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do However Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu:** Thank you **ShadowofUndine, Miori101, Star Girl11** and **Kitsu Kurasei** who reviewed last chapter along with all of the anonymous people who simply read my story.

Well, this is my last arranged update. From here on out, it's strictly whenever I can get a computer that can upload chapters. My sister CONSIDERED letting me use her laptop so there's a high chance I may update next Friday. Though she's got to move out someday... u.u;

Just so you all know, the characters are going to have a MAJOR brain fart at the beginning of this chapter. It was necessary, sorry. Anyways, enjoy!

**- X -**

Chapter 12: Ausuei Village

Lloyd blinked and looked up at his savior. It was a slender man in his twenties with green eyes and a scar running through his left one, small fangs and long black hair tied back in a high ponytail. He wore a black shirt with a ragged brown vest and matching ragged pants with black boots. The strange thing about him though was that he had two brown wolf-like ears sprouting from his head and a long bushy brown tail spouting out through the belt-line of his pants. He held out a black-fingerless gloved hand out to Lloyd.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

Zelos couldn't help but feel jealous for being beaten to saving his bud. Plus he was a bit suspicious of this stranger. Let alone the wolf-like features, the guy had a strange sense of style. He didn't look very suited for the cold weather of the Ice continent; therefore he probably wasn't from around here. Plus the attack he had made was unlike anything he had seen before. It was like several Demon Fangs at once, but way more destructive once they connected with the target. Zelos perked up once he noticed Lloyd finally taking the wolf-man's offer to help him up.

"And just who the hell do you think you are?" Zelos demanded.

The stranger's brown ear twitched slightly and he glanced back at him with narrowed eyes, causing the redhead to tense subconsciously. His gaze wasn't a very friendly looking one. "I apologize. My name is Reikoku Jaken. I came here when I heard the sound of a battle going on and investigated, leaving my companions behind."

Lloyd held out his hand. "I'm Lloyd Irving, and that's Zelos over there. Thanks for your help back there; I can't believe I was so careless!" He laughed merrily as if he hadn't been about to become mincemeat just two minutes ago.

Reikoku seemed confused by the boy's jubilant attitude for a moment before accepting his hand. "It was no big deal, I've fought tougher enemies."

"Don't be so modest! By the way, what was that attack you used against those things?" Lloyd asked as he shook hands erratically.

Reikoku let go once Lloyd started to get a little too excited. "Again, it was no big deal. It's the common attack of my clan."

"What's your clan?" Zelos asked, but felt like he should know already.

Reikoku looked a little taken back by the question for a brief moment. He didn't move or say anything for a while and appeared to be in deep thought. Lloyd got curious and waved a hand in front of the wolf-man's face, snapping him out of it.

"Oh um… that's… my clan is rather secretive." He stuttered.

Lloyd looked disappointed but quickly brushed it off. "Oh. I guess that's okay."

"If it's so secretive, then why are you here out in the open telling us your name?" Zelos asked bitterly as he subconsciously tossed his new Elemental Crest up and down in his open palm. He got a bit freaked out though when Reikoku's eyes followed the Flame Crest where ever it bounced and hid it back in his pocket. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Is that an Elemental Crest?" Reikoku asked ignoring Zelos' previous question.

"What's it to you?"

"Yeah it is." Lloyd answered, causing Zelos to give him a dirty look. "What? It's the least I can do since he saved my life!"

"I think my Little Angel's trusting personality has spread to your brain." Zelos muttered.

"Likewise, but it's definitely the Professor's bad attitude." Lloyd countered.

"Is that the only crest you have?" Reikoku asked curiously, shattering the conflict.

"Nah, we've collected at least two more." Lloyd said obliviously causing Zelos to flail his arms and mouth: 'Shut up already!'

The wolf-man's eyes glittered with what looked like excitement. "Could I possibly see them?"

"Ha, ha, sorry wolfie, but they're back in Flanoir with my hunnies!" Zelos laughed triumphantly.

"Could I accompany you then?"

"Like hell-"

"Of course!" Lloyd cut Zelos off as he called back Genis' staff, which was still hovering in the air. It hit him in the forehead before it landed in his hand.

Zelos marched over to Lloyd, kicking up snow in his path, and grabbed the boy's wrist; towing him away from Reikoku. "Can I talk to you over here a moment, _Bud_?" He spat out his nickname for the Eternal Swordsman before stopping a fair distance away. "How can you be so trusting in that mangy mutt! And don't pull that whole he saved my life crap on me!" Zelos hissed.

"I can still hear you, you know!" Reikoku shouted.

Zelos growled and snapped his head back. "Then cover your ears or something!"

Reikoku frowned but decided to humor the fuming man and fold his brown ears down so he couldn't hear them. Zelos, satisfied, turned back to Lloyd.

"We can't trust him! He's a wolf, and he's secretive, and he's a wolf, and he looks dangerous, and he's a wolf, and he could attack us and steal our Elemental Crests at any time, and did I mention he's a wolf?" Zelos listed pointing at one of his fingers with every point he said.

Lloyd held an expressionless face and glanced over the redhead's shoulder where he could see Reikoku wandering aimlessly, still holding his ears, waiting for them to make up their minds about him. He looked back at Zelos and shook his head.

"Are you discriminating against him?" He asked unexpectedly.

Zelos drew back, his face screwed up with a mix of expressions. "Wha- what..?"

A large grin appeared on the swordsman's face. "Come on, Zelos. Even a child can figure out that you're obviously _jealous_."

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Zelos snapped all flustered now. "I'm just not as trusting! Everything I said before could all be true and you can't deny that."

Lloyd's grin disappeared. "And I won't, I'm just saying he doesn't seem all that bad." He got up and walked towards Reikoku. "He did after all, save my life." He added that part just to rile up the redhead. Of course it worked.

Reikoku lifted his hands from his ears when he saw Lloyd. "Well?"

"You can come along. Zelos won't mind, will you!" He shouted back at the said loudmouth and received the middle finger as the man's answer. "Bah, he'll get over it. Didn't you say you left your companions, Reikoku? Wouldn't they worry?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Just a second." Reikoku crouched then sprung up on to a ledge in the Temple of Ice.

From there, he continued to leap with familiar agile grace, which left even Zelos in awe, till he finally reached the very top of the mountain-like structure. The wolf-man took a deep breath and let out an inhumanly loud howl that surprisingly didn't cause any avalanches. Once his song was over, Reikoku stood listening, brown ears twitching every which way, till finally he was answered by several more howls in the distance. He grinned at the answer then slid down the side on the snow until he landed next to the boys once more.

"All done." Reikoku chirped.

"Uh huh… you might as well tell all of Symphonia we're here. I'm sure even Meltokio heard you from the opposite side." Zelos grumbled.

"Shut up, Zelos!" Lloyd snapped and ended up hitting his own head with the staff while he was trying to twirl it all cool-like. "Just get on. I want to see if Colette got there in time and Genis and Presea are okay." He mounted the staff and Zelos got on bitterly. "Reikoku, you can get on-"

"No, I can run there. I was trained physically for the task in the past." Reikoku declined the offer, much to Zelos' delight since he hadn't wanted the wolf-man to sit behind him anyway.

"Okay then. We'll meet you there." Lloyd said and the staff began to flap its wings vigorously.

While they drifted in the air, they dared to look down from their height to see Reikoku, as he said he would be, running behind them but at an impressive speed.

"Humph, showoff…" Zelos scowled.

"Jealous…" Lloyd chirped in a sing-song sort of way.

"Shut up!"

"Okay, did bringing out your wings early give you an attitude problem or do you just have a huge stick stuck up your ass today?"

"It's nothing; I just don't like that guy!"

"Because you're jealous! Now admit it or else I'll do another barrel roll!"

"… Can I just drop it and still not have to admit it to avoid the barrel roll?"

"Sure, whatever."

Of course, Reikoku's wolf-like hearing picked up every word they said, plus they weren't all that quiet when they argued. The rest of the ride was in silence surprisingly since the two were the loudest ones in the party. Soon they came to the town of Flanoir and landed, Reikoku coming to a stop shortly after though out of breath.

"Geez you fly that thing fast…" Reikoku wheezed and crouched on the ground.

"I'm amazed you could even keep up the way you did. Your style looks kind of familiar to me though…" Lloyd scratched his head in thought but brushed it off. "Come on, we have to meet everyone at the doctor's place."

They walked through the village for a few minutes, some people asking them how they could stand wearing little to nothing in such cold weather as usual, till they finally reached the doctor's building and entered. They were greeted by the faces of their friends.

"Lloyd, Zelos you're back!" Colette beamed.

"Hey Colette, did you get back alright?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah, look!" She pointed towards the beds where Genis and Presea were sitting under blankets awake and looking a lot better.

"Awesome it worked!" Lloyd laughed happily. "Hey guys, how're you feeling?"

"A lot better, thank you Lloyd." Presea said with a small smile.

"No problem! I'm glad to hear that!" Lloyd noticed the bedraggled Genis glaring at him. "What's wrong Genis?"

"Can I have my staff back?" He asked with false cheerfulness.

Lloyd blinked. "Yeah, sure." He handed the staff back to Genis who immediately crashed it into his skull. "OW! What's was that for!" Lloyd flared rubbing his head. Normally he would hit back, but since Genis was recovering, he decided against it.

"I forgot to mention something before I lost my voice back there." Genis said simply and proceeded to turn the staff back into its compact form. "My staff consumes my mana whenever it's in use in order to function. I figured it would be obvious since I rarely use it." He switched his glare back at the swordsman. "I lost almost all my mana while you were using it continuously. Did you ever notice how I use it when it's necessary and use a RHEAIRD to fly!"

"Oh… so that's why you were sicker than Presea was…" Lloyd began to see his mistake, but something still bugged him. "Then why did you give it to me if you didn't expect me to use it a lot?"

"I wanted you to get Presea out of there!" Genis snapped as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He noticed Lloyd's confused expression and sighed. "If I remember correctly, I kept on looking from you to Presea as I opened my staff- Forget it, I'm too beat to argue with you…" He fell back into the pillows.

Lloyd didn't want to end there just yet. "Professor Sage told me to fly on your staff when we transported you guys here! How can you complain at me about that?"

Genis glanced at his sister who sighed. "Daishou said he wanted to come with us and any of the extra Rheairds were too small for him so I told him to ride Lloyd's. Daishou left by the way with our borrowed supplies and wished us good luck." She added quickly. "But I forgot to tell Lloyd to use the Rheairds when he went out to find the Celsius' Tear." She explained giving her brother a sharp look. "The only reason you're complaining is because you had to eat all those gels to rejuvenate your mana."

Genis shut his eyes and groaned. "I hate gels… By the way, who's the guy behind you?"

Everyone finally acknowledged Reikoku's presence in the room. "Um… hi?" He said weakly.

"Oh! He has such a fluffy tail!" Colette squealed. "And he has such cute ears!"

"Oh yeah, everyone this is Reikoku who helped Zelos and I while we were trying to kill the black creatures there." Lloyd introduced and Zelos snorted. "Reikoku, this is Professor Sage, Colette, Presea, Genis and… hey, where's Sheena?"

"She went out to book some rooms at the Inn since these two have to stay here overnight for observational purposes. Apparently we can't stay with them due to there being not enough room AND exaggerated prices." Raine said bitterly glaring at the curtains that concealed the doctor working plastic surgery on his previous patient.

"Pleased to meet you, Reikoku." Presea said while Genis flicked his wrist as his half-greeting.

Reikoku began to feel a bit shy with all the attention and turned to Lloyd. "Um, Lloyd, I don't mean to be rude, but I came here to see the Elemental Crests, remember?"

"Oh yeah! Hey Professor and Colette, could you show Reikoku your crests? It's the reason he came." Lloyd asked.

"Sure!" Colette dug in her pocket till she withdrew the blue jewel crest. "Isn't it pretty?"

Raine reluctantly showed her emerald green crest. "Just don't touch it."

Reikoku's eyes glittered as he stared at the two power filled crests. Both flowed with unknown power that radiated through the room. He went to take a closer look and maybe even touch the Water Crest when someone opened the door.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Sheena shouted and stood between the two women with crests and the wolf-man.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously once he recognized her clothing and style. "You possess a Mizuhoan ninja in your party?" He asked the boy in red that he knew better than the rest.

Lloyd looked between them confused. If you looked closely enough, you could see the sparks flying between their glares. "Sheena, you know Reikoku?"

Sheena snapped her head over to him in disbelief. "Weren't you listening at all when I was telling you my story! This wolf-man is one of the Anubis I was talking about! He's one of the people who continuously attack the village and were banished!"

"Don't remind me…" Reikoku growled.

"Hold on, Sheena! Reikoku's a good guy; he saved me back at the Temple of Ice!" Lloyd pleaded to the ninja.

Sheena glared back up at the Anubis Clan member. "I trust him about as much as I trust Zelos when he's standing behind me…"

"It's true." Zelos shrugged. "But I agree with my voluptuous hunny, he's bad news."

"You're just saying that because you're jealous…" Lloyd said in a sing-song tone once more.

"Not this again…" Reikoku shook his head with a sigh.

"Don't worry, I won't." Lloyd laughed before taking a good look at Reikoku. "Now that I look at you more closely, it makes sense to me how you could've been from Mizuho before. Your clothes look a lot like Sheena's people, but they're all torn up, like that vest could've been the top of a Kimono thing. It has the patterns on it to look like it, but the rest of your outfit isn't quite as obvious. Plus you had that ninja-like grace that Sheena has…"

"Could you stop comparing him to me?" Sheena scowled.

"Sorry, but it all just pieces together for me now." Lloyd grinned.

"What's your point then?" Reikoku asked.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking out loud." This caused everyone to smack their foreheads.

"Lloyd's observations are accurate from what I have heard." Presea said.

Zelos sighed. "Okay, we've now discovered you were once a Mizuhoan member, you've seen the Elemental Crests, so now you should be leaving, shouldn't you?"

"That was kind of rude." Colette frowned.

"Not in the same words as the idiot, but I agree with him." Sheena said.

"Fine I will." Reikoku turned to the door. "It was nice meeting you all."

"Wait a minute." Raine called and the Anubis stopped. "If you're of the Anubis Clan then you should be at Ausuei Village, right?"

"That is correct." Reikoku said and turned his gaze to her. "What of it?"

"Hear me out. We're seeking out more of the Elemental Crests and have heard rumor that your clan possesses another piece of the map. We're willing to work out a trade for that piece of the map whatever it takes. Will you lead us to your village tomorrow so that we can arrange this peacefully?" Raine asked.

"Professor, you can't expect them to do this peacefully!" Sheena shouted but was ignored.

Reikoku gave Raine a long look before answering. "Agreed, I will inform my clan of this then return in the morning."

Sheena's eyes widened and she ran and slammed the door shut before Reikoku could leave. "Hold on a minute! If I let you walk through that door, you're just going to arrange a trap for us once we get there!"

Reikoku just snorted. "So what do you suggest I do?"

The ninja had to think for a second. "You'll have to spend the night in Flanoir with us then. I'll have the guys keep an eye on you."

Zelos spluttered. "The-the guys..? Don't you mean in…" He stuttered because couldn't think of anywhere else for him to go.

Lloyd put his hands on the back of his head in a casual fashion. "I have no complaints. I still think you're all being paranoid."

"Wow, Lloyd knows a big word…" Genis yawned.

"Shut up, Genis!" Lloyd glared at the half elf.

The doctor appeared from behind the curtains. "You know, it's really difficult to operate when people are yapping in the background. Just look what you made me do!" He opened the curtain wider so that they could see the mistake he made.

"Oh dear Martel! Lloyd, cover Colette's eyes!" Raine shouted as she blocked Genis and Presea's vision to preserve what was left of their innocence.

"Ew… you gave that guy two different sized knockers…" Zelos covered his mouth as he felt the urge to hurl.

"Unfortunately, 'he's' a she…" Sheena muttered and grabbed onto Reikoku's tail before he could run out of the room to avoid the sight.

That was the last straw and Zelos ran to the closest garbage can to get sick.

The doctor closed the curtain and crossed his arms. "Now that I've scarred you all for life, I would like to get back to work, in SILENCE."

"If you hadn't just saved my brother's and Presea's lives, I would murder you where you stand! There are children in the room for Goddess' sake!" Raine growled and stood up.

Genis gripped onto Raine's jacket. "You're not REALLY going to leave us alone with him are you!"

"Unfortunately, yes…" She groaned and pried off her brother's death grip on her coat.

"Have mercy, sis!" Genis pleaded as Raine grabbed Zelos from the garbage can.

"Presea will be with you so don't worry." She waved him off and closed the door after a few 'byes'.

Genis whimpered then glanced at Presea who had a blank look on her face. "I don't believe that Professor Sage has been so evil in her life." If she was worried, then that gave the sorcerer a very good reason to be scared.

The poor kids…

**- X -**

Night had come and the city of Flanoir was now dim with only small lanterns lighting the streets. Everyone was snug in their beds, except for a few rowdy people in bars, and peace had drifted through. They were now settled thanks to the heroic Eternal Swordsman and his companions destroying all the creatures that had been so close to Flanoir. The inn the said heroes were staying at was quiet as the clerks and owners had switched to their nightshift posts. The only thing that was heard was the creaking of a door in the hallway as a wolven man poked his head out, checking if the coast was clear. He was about to step out when someone shouted from inside the room.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!"

"Crap…" Reikoku hissed as he turned around, disappointed that he was caught.

To his annoyance, no one was even awake in the room. Lloyd was sprawled out on his back in bed, blankets only covering half his body. Zelos on the other hand was sleeping on his side with the blankets bunched up beside him in his embrace with one hand stroking it.

"Don't worry, hunny, I'll show you a good time…" Zelos mumbled in his sleep much to Reikoku's disgust.

"Is that a… tomato!" Lloyd cried in his sleep and crumpled his body into a ball, quivering in fear. "Okay, okay! You can have my hair gel, just don't hurt me!"

Reikoku didn't know what to think of the two boys. They both just fried his brain with their odd dreams. He shook his head and went to exit the door but someone was blocking his path. He scowled down at the woman.

"Mizuho…" He muttered bitterly.

"Anubis." Sheena replied with the same venom in her tone. "What do you think you're doing at this late?"

"I wanted some air." He was cut off when he heard a loud, 'Yeah, give it to me baby!' "And to get away from those guys…"

Sheena peeked around him to see Zelos currently making out with his bundled up blanket. Lloyd was also making gagging noises and holding his throat.

"It burns! It burns my insides! Damn the tomatoes! Damn them to hell!" Lloyd shouted before snoring loudly as if he hadn't been making a huge fuss before.

Sheena cringed and looked back up at the wolf man. "I can see why, but you can't leave this inn or this room."

He then turned back on her. "Are you planning on locking me up and only use me for your selfish reasons? It would be typical of Mizuhoans like you."

"You know why I'm suspicious." Sheena said simply crossing her arms.

"While we're on the topic of suspicious, what're you doing up as well?" He asked.

"Like you, I wanted to get up to get some air, but from my window. I heard Lloyd shouting so I got worried and came over here." She explained. "I just happened to catch you in the act as a bonus."

"Humph. It's not like I can go back to my clan and inform them you're coming then come back in time." He scowled.

"I wouldn't doubt that you could anyway, but I do know that if you howl, it'll be enough of a signal." She stated.

Reikoku glare grew fiercer till he drew back his fist. "You think you know everything about me do you?" He aimed his punch for her face. "Then know this; I don't take orders, especially from you!"

Sheena calmly raised her right hand and caught his fist. Reikoku growled and drew it back to his side.

"You think you're better than me, don't you? Why don't we settle this outside?" He snarled.

Sheena walked away. "I don't fight bad dogs." She suddenly paused and glanced back at him. "I was given my Successor title because my people believed I deserved it." She then continued towards her room. "You show me why you deserve it and I just might remove the Anubis law of banishment."

Reikoku glared a hole in her back as she closed the door to her dorm room. Now was as good a chance as ever to escape and inform his clan of their arrival but something was stopping him. He stared down at his feet in thought till something Lloyd had said before entered his mind.

"_Damnit…" Reikoku hissed as he exited the hospital._

_Lloyd followed him out till he was side by side with him. "So that's why you said you were so secretive. You didn't want us to know you were apart of the Anubis Clan."_

_Reikoku shot his glare down at the young man. "I was surprised you didn't know when you saw my ears and tail… I figured I could take advantage of it."_

_Lloyd gave him a hard look. "You know, Sheena is a good person. I'm sure if you showed her you deserve it, she just might remove the Anubis banishment law." Reikoku gave him a confused look but Lloyd just grinned widely back at him. "But you have to figure that out yourself!" Lloyd's stomach began growling, cutting the silence. "Man, I'm starving! Let's get to the inn fast so we can eat!"_

Reikoku closed his eyes. "Show I deserve it…" He shook his head and went back inside the room deciding he would think on it.

He frowned at his roommates. Lloyd was still sprawled out and snoring and Zelos was still hugging his blanket.

"Hunny, you sure know how to party with the Z-man…" Zelos sighed. "Now it's time for our second dance."

Reikoku cringed. For the first time in his life, he cursed the fact that he was nocturnal.

**- X –**

"Oh man… I had the worst dream last night." Lloyd yawned widely.

"Oh really? I had the best dream!" Zelos laughed as he replayed his dream in his mind. "It was so sexy…"

"You would dream about something like that!" Sheena snapped and bashed him over the head with her fist.

Zelos groaned and rubbed his head. "Would you like me to tell you about it, my voluptuous hunny?"

"No! Don't even go back there!" Reikoku shouted suddenly causing everyone to look at him funny. "Err... I mean, I don't want to know."

The truth was that he had stayed up all night in the same room listening to every detail of Zelos' erotic dream. Seeing the 'woman' getting plastic surgery yesterday wasn't even close to being as bad as what he heard. They had all just checked out of the inn and were on their way to the doctor's office to pick up Genis and Presea.

"Aw, that's too bad. I don't like bad dreams." Colette said to Lloyd.

"Me either…" Lloyd muttered.

"Could we all pick up the pace? We need to get to Ausuei Village and work out the deal so we can get that piece of the map!" Raine shouted back at them. "Symphonia is still at stake here."

"Yes Professor." They all answered except for Reikoku who just thought they were all whipped.

As soon as they reached the hospital, they saw the doctor opening the door for a thin beautiful woman. But of course the doctor was fiddling around with all the Gald he had just received and his hands, counting every last coin. Sheena immediately recognized the other as the 'woman' getting plastic surgery.

"I'm pleased that you love the results! Thank you very much then, bye now!" The doctor waved to the woman who was leaving.

Zelos took this chance to swoop in and meet the lady. "Hey there beautiful, you are looking VERY fine this snowy morning!"

The woman stared at him. "Thank you very much! Plastic surgery does wonders, doesn't it?"

Zelos nearly crapped himself in fright. She had such a deep masculine voice! He fell on his rear in the snow as 'she' laughed and waved bye.

"Is… that really a woman..?" Zelos croaked.

"Come on Zelos!" Raine called to him from the door and he quickly scurried to the entrance.

"Good morning everyone." Presea greeted.

Inside, they saw that Presea was awake and Genis was still sleeping beside her. While Raine signed their release forms and paid the ridiculous bill, they woke up Genis and the two got changed in another room back into their regular clothes and out of their hospital gowns. They left immediately.

"Ugh, what a night..." Genis sighed. "I'm never going to a hospital ever again!"

"Yes, it was an unpleasant experience." Presea agreed. "The air was filled with the pungent scent of medicine and blood and the woman wouldn't stop moaning in pain all night."

"Yeah, and the beds were so lumpy and uncomfortable." Genis added. "And DON'T even mention the food!"

"Well, as long as you both stay out of trouble you won't have to go back." Raine said as she turned her attention back to the wolf-man walking beside her. "Now tell me, Reikoku, where 'bouts is the village your clan lives at?"

Reikoku was knocked out of his train of thought and looked at Raine. "Pardon?"

Sheena noticed his sudden confusion but kept her gaze straight ahead to avoid suspicion.

"Where is your village located?" Raine repeated.

"Oh, it's outside of Flanoir. There's an entrance near the side of the cliff where we're… temporarily staying…" Reikoku drifted off back into thought.

Raine frowned and was about to question him further but decided to ignore it. Once outside Flanoir, they decided to use the Rheairds despite the fact that it would only take them three or five minutes to reach the place Reikoku spoke of by flight. The Anubis took a Rheaird with Sheena after deciding against running this time. They flew towards the edge of the Ice continent, right of the Temple of Ice, where they had formed a pact with Celsius, till they landed and packed up once again.

Reikoku wandered away to the edge of the cliff where he waited for the others to finish packing up. "It's over here!"

The party walked where Reikoku was standing and looked down. Ignoring the crashing waves against the rocky surface of the continent, they could see a fairly wide protrusion coming out of the side of the cliff face. If they walked along it, it would lead to a large dark opening. Reikoku hopped down from the edge and landed on the path with ease.

"We… have to jump down?" Raine muttered fearfully as she stared at the water. Even though they had survived through getting the Water Crest, she was still afraid of water.

Sheena didn't reply but jumped down with the same grace that Reikoku had before, not about to be showed up by a mangy mutt. Lloyd went next followed by Colette, who drew her wings just to be safe, Zelos, who had slid down the side on his butt since he tripped, then Genis, who glanced back at his sister worried. That just left Raine and Presea.

"Professor Sage, we must proceed." Presea urged.

"I… might fall in though…" The Professor muttered.

The ax wielder thought for a moment before an idea hit her. "You could use the end of your staff in the cliff face to create the friction you could use to slow down." She drew her ax. "I'll show you."

Presea stabbed her ax into the side then jumped over. Her ax slowed her descend, chipping away rocks and rubble along the way till she finally made it to the bottom where everyone was waiting. Raine was hesitant, but stuck her staff end in the groove Presea's ax had made, said a little prayer, then jumped. Just as Presea predicted, she went down slowly and safely to the bottom. There they walked along the path then entered the cave. It was pitch black until they reached the end, Reikoku leading the way the entire time. They saw the village, large tents everywhere with fur and feathers decorating them all and an especially large tent further ahead.

There was one thing missing though. "Where is everyone?" Lloyd voiced their thoughts till he felt a painful blow to the back of his head that made him fall face first to the ground.

He heard everyone else shout in pain and thumps as he tried desperately to stay conscious. Unfortunately, the pain was too much for him to handle and he could only stare blankly at the wolf-man's boots. Before he gave up, he could've sworn he heard Reikoku say one thing:

"I'm sorry…"

**- X -**

**Aisu: **How could my baby do that! T.T -huggles Reikoku- Don't hurt him too badly (If you must hurt him at all) in your reviews...

I felt really bad when I had to leave you guys on a cliffhanger now of all times... Then again, if I don't make my updates, it would give me more time to work on more chapters. But that'll be useless once school comes... I'm only on Chapter 17 after all. It's all a matter of motivation to work on the chapters... u.u;

Next chapter -hopefully- next Friday. Till then, please leave a review!


	13. Ice Crest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do, However, Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu:** OHMIGOD! X.X I'm so sorry you guys! I didn't miss one update, or two, or three... actually, I don't no how many I missed. The point is that I'm VERY sorry and I have a HUGE chapter to hopefully make up for my absence. 6456 words to be exact. O.o;

But in my absence, I've completed Chapters 17 and 18 and I'm almost mid-way through 19. WOOT! Now, for once I'm going to answer some questions from your reviews right now because they're handy for others to know as well. I really don't have time for full replies, sorry.

_Kemix: _I can't shorten up these chapters, sorry. I have a set chapter plan, and most of them are at least 4000 to 6000 words. n.n; Thank you for reviewing!

_ShadowofUndine:_ Reikoku was actually an enemy in an old Naruto fanfic I did. So translated, his name would mean some pretty negative things. YAY! You've figured out the pattern! Yes, each crest quest focuses on a specific character. Zelos got a lot of spotlight, as you mentioned, but so did someone else. You'll find out who this chapter. Thanks a lot for the review!

_Miori101:_ Don't worry, I imagine Reikoku as Koga alot by mistake too. XD; Zelos had been a lot of fun to write about that chapter too! Thanks for reviewing!

_noctepanther: _Not at all. n.n You don't have to, but I always appreciate reviews! Thank you for pointing that out to me. The sentence should actually be: "Once outside Flanoir, they decided to use the Rheairds **since** it would only take them three or five minutes to reach the place Reikoku spoke of by flight." And yes, I stated this, in Chapter 2 to be exact, but Regal WILL be appearing in this fanfic. Just not as a main character. This is a for sure because I've already done chapters with him in them. Thanks alot for reviewing!

And I thank the rest of you as well who simply read the story! I'm so glad you all enjoy this story! Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 13: Ice Crest

The ninja slowly came too with a monstrous headache. She went to grip her head in a useless attempt to sooth the pain but found she couldn't. She looked up to see that her wrists were tethered together above her head to a post she was back against. She sighed and leaned back in her sitting position to examine her situation. She was inside one of the tents they had seen when they entered the village, most likely one of the smaller ones. She looked down at her waist and saw that her pouch for her Ofuda was gone along with the sword the Successor is supposed to have with them at all times. She was basically unarmed. Then something came to mind; they probably didn't take away the file hidden in her boot. Every ninja of Mizuho had one just in case of situations like these. Maybe she could use it to get herself free! But first she wanted to finish her examination.

She glanced to her left and found from closest to farthest, Lloyd, Colette and Raine, all in the same position she was but still trying to get a grasp on reality. That meant to her right was Zelos, Genis and Presea. Each of them was of course unarmed like her. She remembered her previous plan, now that she knew her friends were safe, and went straight to work. She propped her right leg up on raised knee and used her teeth to try and knead out the thread that was attached to the file.

"What are you trying to do, Sheena?" She heard Lloyd mumble to her.

"I'm going to get us out of here…" Sheena hissed through clenched teeth.

"By untying your shoelace?" Zelos asked rather stupidly.

Since he was within her kicking range, Sheena abandoned her task for the second and booted him in the thigh. By now everyone was awake and watching her intently since she held the key to their possible freedom. Sheena ripped at the slot in her boot with her mouth till she finally found the thread and pulled the file out. Rather groggily, she then pulled her self into a squat position so that she could carefully place the file beyond the knots and into her fingers. Once that was done, she began sawing at the individual threads of the ropes.

Presea's eyes widened and turned her head to the closed flap in front of them. "I hear someone approaching."

Sheena quickly slipped herself back to sitting and clenched the file in her fist, hoping she didn't do too much noticeable damage to her bonds. Several shadows appeared before the tent then they lifted it to allow themselves entrance. They were all of the Anubis clan, Reikoku among them looking rather guiltily at the ground, but the woman in the middle seemed to be of a higher status than the rest of them. She looked like that of royalty in more exquisite furs and feathers that covered her fair skin, but still left her tail and ears easily noticeable. The rest appeared to be guards and held long rods with large knives at the tops.

"So, you've finally come yourself instead of sending your lackeys, Chief of Mizuho." The woman grinned maliciously, her fangs visible. "How does it feel to be imprisoned like you once did to us?"

"Listen, we didn't come here to attack you. We just want to make a trade for the piece of the map you have." Sheena said with authority in her tone.

The she-wolf stared at her curiously. "What would you need the Elemental Crests for? To make us suffer further, perhaps?" She dug in her robe until she withdrew their three Elemental Crests. "I'm sorry, but we can't have you doing that now." She walked over to Reikoku and stroked beneath his chin. "I have my subordinate, Jaken, here to thank for your capture."

Sheena glared at Reikoku who was looking pretty confused. "How did you manage to signal them? I didn't hear one peep out of you and you were in your room all night!"

Reikoku didn't look like he was about to answer so the woman did so for him. "He didn't signal during the night, but during the evening, he called saying he had found people with crests and was going to lead them here."

Lloyd looked up in surprise. "So that's what you howled for. It wasn't just a signal for your companions, but for your whole clan."

"…" He still had nothing to say.

"Hey lady, by capturing us here, that makes you no better than the people of Mizuho back then! You're a total hypocrite!" Genis shouted.

"Silence, child!" She flared and caused the half elf to draw back in surprise.

"Yeah, silence kid." Zelos jeered and nudged Genis with his foot playfully. "Her majesty is speaking."

"Suck up…" Genis growled and kicked the redhead in return.

"SILENCE!" The woman shouted much fiercer this time causing everyone in the tent to shut up. "You will refer to me as Lady Ookami."

"Okay then, Lady Ookami, what do you plan to do with us since you've declined our peaceful trade offer?" Raine asked.

"Seeing as I have gotten what I wanted, we can just kill the prisoners." Ookami said simply. "Bring them to the main tent!"

Reikoku was shot out of his thoughts just then. "Kill the prisoners!"

"Yes, they are of no use to me and once I kill Mizuho's chief, the rest will crumble." She laughed as she watched the prisoners struggle against the guards that were trying to control them.

"But-"

Lady Ookami switched her sharp ruby glare on Reikoku. "Do you have a problem with what I am doing?"

Reikoku stared fearfully as the guards led the Heroes of Symphonia out of the tent who were all but kicking and screaming. He sighed and stared at the ground once more, eyes closed. "No... Lady Ookami."

She grinned and scratched under his chin. "That's a good boy." With that, she left Reikoku to think about what he had just put everyone through.

"What have I done..?"

**- X -**

"Lloyd, I'm scared…" Colette whimpered and stuck close to the said person.

"Don't worry; we'll get out of this fine." Lloyd replied with a weak grin since he too was rather worried about what was going to happen.

They were led by guards towards the large tent they had seen before under the watchful eyes of others from Ausuei Village. Some whispered, some pointed, some laughed at them, and some just stared in fright, but most just sent them hateful glares. But most of those glares were directed mainly at Sheena who stared straight ahead stoically. Lloyd noticed that Reikoku was no longer following them and sighed. Maybe he was a little too trusting about him, but he looked sad as they were dragged out of the tent. He shook his head. There was no time to be thinking about things like that in their current position.

"Tch… this sure isn't unfamiliar…" He heard Genis mutter bitterly.

"We must not despair. We must think of a way out of our current predicament." Presea said. "We have gotten out of worse situations than this."

"My little Rosebud is right. But just in case." Zelos knelt over towards Raine and gave her a very seductive look along with purr in the back of his throat. "How 'bout a little good bye kiss, Hunny?"

Raine glared at him and paused to kick his face in. Zelos flew back and ended up having the guards scoop him up to make him walk once more. He grinned creepily and started blathering about how it was totally worth it. Genis ended up kicking him in the shin for hitting on his sister. The guards became confused though wondering if they were all even friends. All the excitement faded though once they entered the tent, which held many of the Anubis people.

"Is this a… public execution!" Lloyd demanded in outrage but was forced forward when one of the guards nudged him from behind with the bladed rod.

"Yes…" Lady Ookami purred as she approached the center of the crowd, they all separated to make room for her as she drew a dagger from the scabbard at her waist. "It's our tradition. We do not let evil live, especially evil who once tried to kill us!" She pointed the blade at Sheena who just stood there glaring back. "Or any of those associated!"

"You think you're doing justice? Hah, it's quite the opposite! You're the one who's evil. We're trying to save this world from the oncoming destruction and you're doing no justice by killing us." Sheena said with a smirk.

Ookami's blood red eyes glinted with anger. "Bring the Successor here first! She shall be the first of evil to be disposed of!"

Sheena grunted as she was dragged by two guards towards the evil she-wolf, the crowds shouting in agreement and excitement, drowning out the screams of protests from her friends.

"KILL HER!"

"MAKE HER SUFFER!"

"EVIL MUST BE PUNISHED!"

"DIE!"

Ookami smirked and raised the dagger over the Mizuhoan Successor, who was being held down in a bowing position, then went to thrust the blade into her back.

"SHEENA!"

The ninja did something unexpected. The ropes that had held her wrists bound ripped apart the moment she separated them. Her freedom allowed her to punch aside the guards and narrowly avoid the knife. Sheena grinned maliciously at the surprised Queen, revealing the file between her forefinger and thumb.

"Lloyd, catch!" She called and threw the file to the boy who had to turn around and catch it clumsily with his tied hands.

The spectators gasped at the sudden turn of events; they needed to get out of there or else the furious Successor and her friends would kill them. Everything was now chaotic and the crowds were all screaming and trying to get to the entrance while the guards were attempting to subdue the prisoners. Lloyd freed his hands from the ropes and quickly tore off Colette's ropes so that she could go to work freeing the others. She may not be much of a physical fighter, but he'll be damned if he leaves Sheena to fight alone. He began punching and kicking anyone who got in his way as he fought through the mess of wolf-people.

Ookami began to panic and went to flee the tent but Sheena was there behind her. She drew back her fist and went to punch the Lady of the Anubis, who had closed her eyes in fright. She was surprised when she didn't feel any pain so she opened her eyes to see that Sheena had actually just stolen back the Elemental Crests, which were now in her possession. This was too much excitement for Ookami and she ended up fainting. Sheena went to give back the crests to her friends but something made her gasp. Looking back down at Ookami's unconscious form, she saw a black beetle-like bug crawling out of her neck.

"A Piku!" Sheena exclaimed and smashed it under her boot before it could get away and went to help her friends.

Zelos, who was still tied up, dodged several slices of the bladed staff the guard was using against him before jumping over the underhand swing. He then pulled his arms under his body to his front and had the enemy slice him free by mistake.

He smirked. "Now I mean business!" He then slugged the guard with his fist.

The rest were now all free and defending themselves as best as they could. Raine and Colette weren't quite as physical so they only fought when it was necessary while the others got into it. Genis could summon small spells without his weapon but they were only enough to stun the enemy before he whacked them aside with a bladed rod he 'borrowed'. Presea took advantage of her abnormal strength and dealt serious damage to whoever got in her way and backed up those at a disadvantage. Lloyd was somewhere in the fray fighting for his life and looking for Sheena. The ninja hopped on top of a few heads before jumping into the air and tossing each Elemental Crest to their respectful owner. They could all instantly feel the results, which made them a little stronger.

Sheena landed beside Lloyd and fought back to back with him. "She was possessed by a Piku."

Lloyd looked back at her in shock before punching aside another guard who had aimed for his head. "That would explain a lot! Where is she now?"

"She fainted back there. Don't worry; I got rid of the Piku." Sheena said and gripped onto Lloyd's back so she could do a roundhouse kick.

Lloyd wobbled a bit, not expecting that. "A little warning next time would be nice!"

"Sorry!" She laughed and continued to fight. "I've always wanted to try that though and you seemed sturdy enough to try!"

Lloyd snorted and swung one guard into another, knocking them both out.

"Special delivery!" They all paused and looked up at the familiar voice.

"Reikoku!" Lloyd shouted but was caught off guard when the Anubis threw something at him and he caught it. "Hey, you got our weapons back!" He laughed as he swung his Material Blades in both hands.

Reikoku jumped up onto one of the tent supporting poles, with a sack hanging on his back, and threw everyone their weapons.

"Jaken you traitor, what the hell are you doing!" One of the guards shouted.

"I'm helping. What does it look like?" The wolf-man said mockingly and threw the heroes the rest of their equipment then jumped towards the exit. "This way, come on!"

Wasting no time breaking in their weapons, the party had no trouble getting past the last of the guards and followed him out the door. All the people of Ausuei Village had returned to their homes out of fright, leaving only dozens of guards in their way.

"That was a close one! Thanks Reikoku!" Colette said as she sprouted her wings and flew along side everyone. The wolf-man nodded in response.

"Where are we going?" Presea asked.

"I'm taking you to Lady Ookami's tent where she keeps the piece of the map." Reikoku stated.

"Hey Wolfie, what made you decide to help us after you turned us in?" Zelos asked as they ran.

He looked down in shame. "I had forgotten about my message I sent the other day so I wasn't expecting it either. I was torn between you guys to get back our home, or staying loyal to our clan's title. But when I heard what Lady Ookami was saying in there, I knew something was wrong because she was never that dishonorable. So I trusted my sixth sense and went to crash the party." He explained with a grin. "But it looks like you already took care of that before I got there."

"That was a Piku possessing her." Sheena explained. "They're little demon bugs that possess the subject and have complete control over their actions. But don't worry; I got rid of it so Lady Ookami should return to normal soon."

"Thank you." Reikoku said.

"Alright! I knew you weren't a bad guy, Reikoku!" Lloyd said with a thumbs-up.

"Yes, I'm sure we wouldn't have been able to defend ourselves much longer if we kept that up." Raine added.

The Anubis smiled. "I think I made the right choice." He looked up and pointed. "That's her tent right there!"

"Well, let's get that map and get out of here before they find us!" Genis said.

They entered the tent quickly and had Zelos guard the door, much to his dismay but they ignored him. They all began scanning the tent for any of hint of the map, through her small closet, under her bed, even in her delicates! Presea flipped over a mat and, amazingly enough, it flew flimsily out from under it.

"I have located the map." She said and picked up the map piece, causing everyone except Zelos to crowd around.

Raine took it from her and scanned it carefully, then asked Genis for the other piece and fitted it perfectly, but there was still part of it missing. "Yes, according to this, we've got three new locations to search for Elemental Crests. The Slypher Mountains, Raizen Country and…" Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "… Ausuei Village… It's here!"

The others looked just as surprised. "You mean there's one somewhere in this village!" Genis asked excitedly.

"It should be expected since we relocated our village here. We followed the map to this very spot looking for them." Reikoku said.

"That means despite getting captured and nearly killed, coming here to get the map was completely beneficial!" Colette beamed optimistically.

"Now we can get that crest and then we'll be halfway done with this journey to save Symphonia!" Zelos added jubilantly but frowned when he noticed everyone staring at him. "What?"

"Weren't you supposed to be guarding the door?" Sheena asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me why I came! We've got company!" Just as Zelos finished saying that, several guards burst into the tent and cornered them.

"Oh come on! How many of you are there!" Lloyd shouted in frustration but rearmed himself nonetheless.

"Don't bother with them!" Reikoku said and used his claws to tear open the side of the tent. "Let's just get out of here!"

As soon as they exited through the hole, the Anubis man sliced a few of the ropes that held up the tent so that it collapsed on the pursuers, stalling them for the moment, before racing back to catch up with the rest who were running blindly.

"Reikoku, was there any specific area in Ausuei Village that looked strange or out of the ordinary? Maybe a cave that led to a temple?" Raine asked.

The wolf-man thought for a second. "Come to think of it, we never really explored it, but there is a cave of sorts around here. When we first moved here, there were many old relics and crap lying around so we got rid of them to make room for us all." He was confused when several of them were holding back Raine who looked about ready to beat the snot out of him. "But anyways… we didn't touch anything around the cave so it's pretty much the same as when we first came. We assumed it was the location of the Guardian so we've been training to be ready to battle it."

"Can you show us where it is?" Lloyd asked, but more demanded since it was vital that they found the Elemental Crest.

"Yeah, just follow me." He made them all take a sharp turn left, which not only lead them to the cave, but avoided another swarm of guards.

They ran for a while, making many twists and turns along the way and beating a bunch more pesky guards who got in their path, till they finally thought they couldn't last much longer. Luckily, the cave was just ahead and they took a moment to admire it. Surrounding the square-shaped cave entrance was a large pillar-like structure that looked to be supporting it. On it were words and characters written in a foreign language along with two large pictures of familiar people. The one on the left was slender, had short hair, markings and pointed ears. She wore a sleeveless top and a skirt, which slanted down to her right ankle, as well as sandals. The person looked like, if not was, Celsius, the Summon Spirit of Ice. The figure on the right pillar looked almost exactly like Celsius, but wore a fitted robe that went down to just below her hips and sectioned towards the middle to go down to her ankles. They didn't spend as much time as they wanted to inspect the pictures because they had to hide in the cave to get away from the guards.

"Is it just me, or did it just get colder?" Sheena asked subconsciously rubbing her arms in a weak attempt to warm her body.

"The temperature has dropped several degrees." Presea informed with her analytical mind. "Reason unknown."

"Well, we still have to go further if we want that Elemental Crest." Genis said as he opened his hand to allow his mana to form in his palm to create a small ball of fire. "Well it's definitely frozen mana." He said as the flame blew out like the flame on a candle.

"What do you mean?" Colette asked.

"Even though we can sense it clearly, he did the experiment to make sure." Raine explained. "I assume the flame gave off little to no heat because the surround ice mana nullified it, being its polar opposite and all." Genis nodded to show she had the same thoughts as him.

"If it's frozen mana then this must be the place we were looking for." Zelos said knowledgably.

"It's got to be." Lloyd said. "Then after this crest, we'll be halfway there! Then Symphonia will be saved!"

"… By the boy who still thinks two plus two is twenty-two." Genis added with a grin.

"Hey!"

"Knock it off, you two. We're here." Reikoku said as they can to a halt.

Ahead was almost the same setup as the before temples. It was large, old and cyan blue with snow decorating it all around giving it the appropriate effect to match the temperature. The door led to a tunnel that had torches with cyan flames lighting the way. After bundling up a little more, they finally entered the temple leading to a large room covered in snow and ice and had the same torches everywhere around.

_So… after 1000 years I finally have visitors…  
_  
The party shaded their eyes right as soon as a flurry of ice started to swirl around the room. When it died down, they could see the same girl that looked like Celsius on the pillars before them. She was pale with slightly longer black hair and the same robe as shown on the picture. She glared at them all with a playful smirk on her face.

"Let me guess, you're here for this, aren't you?" She snapped her fingers and out of no where, a silver jewel appeared and landed in her hand. Noticing their expressions, she began to wave her finger. "Tut, tut, you don't think that I, Great Fahrenheit would just hand it over that simply, do you?" She was taken back when silver stars started to twinkle into the room and take shape.

Out of the light appeared the Summon Spirit of Ice, Celsius, looking rather unimpressed. "Celsius? What are you doing here? I didn't summon you." Sheena asked.

"I sensed my master was in danger so I came." Celsius replied, eyes never leaving Fahrenheit.

The Guardian stared blankly for a minute before breaking down into laughter. "Your… your master! HAHAHA! Holy Martel, that's too funny!" She was literally rolling on the floor in hysterics.

Celsius growled embarrassedly and raised her fist. "Shut up!"

Fahrenheit wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. "I never thought I'd see the day that my big sister would have a master!"

"Big sister!" Sheena gaped. "Did I miss something here?"

The Summon Spirit glowered and tilted her head back to acknowledge her master. "Yes… Fahrenheit is unfortunately… my twin sister…"

"Yeah, but I'm the cuter one!" Fahrenheit chirped causing Celsius to send her a dirty look.

"Summon Spirits can have siblings?" Lloyd asked.

"She's not a Summon Spirit; she's the Guardian of the Ice Crest. Unfortunately, we were born at the same time so therefore we are twins. We got different positions when we were born into the Spirit World." Celsius explained.

"I'm still pissed about that! I would make a MUCH better Summon Spirit then I am a Guardian. I'm so bored waiting here for someone to come by, which is like one person every one-thousand years. You're too serious to be ordered around by people!" Fahrenheit pointed an accusing finger at Celsius.

"And YOU would prefer to be ordered around by a master?" Celsius asked.

"Not really but-"

"Then here's your first trial run of being loyal to your master. Give us the Ice Crest nicely and I won't have to kick your ass!"

Fahrenheit sighed. "Dear sister, you still haven't changed your temper. Alright, I will hand over the crest nicely! But first you have to fight me and win! All of you can join in, it'll be fun!"

"You can tell they're siblings, they're total opposites." Genis mused as he brought out his staff.

"Ah… double the Cool Beauties. This is a dream come true!" Zelos sighed with hearts in his eyes.

"Ew! You're creepy!" Fahrenheit shrieked.

"… And my dream just became a nightmare…"

"Can it, Zelos! We need that crest!" Lloyd shouted as he also drew his blades.

"I'll assist in any way possible." Reikoku said and got into a fighter's stance.

"Her element is ice so…" Sheena thought out loud as she dug through her deck of summoning cards but paused when an icy hand gripped her wrist.

"Don't you dare bring Efreet into this. I'll defeat Fahrenheit without his fat red ass in my way, thank you very much." Celsius said through her teeth and let go of her master.

Fahrenheit frowned and crossed her arms. "That's not very servant-like of you; you're setting a bad example for your little sis."

"SHUT UP!" Celsius snapped back, clearly not enjoying the family reunion.

Sheena then drew her regular Ofuda and summoned her flame element Sylva Seals, casting on Lloyd first since he was probably going in right away. Like she anticipated, he made the first move and charged forward Celsius running beside him. Next she did Presea since she was just behind them. Genis, Raine and Zelos began casting their spells and Colette flew in after being charged with flame mana. Sheena finished doing herself she went to join in but someone cleared their throat to get her attention. She glanced at Reikoku who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you…" Sheena laughed nervously, like she did whenever she made a mistake.

While Sheena finished up, Lloyd went in for the first strike, swinging his Flamberge diagonally, which Fahrenheit easily dodged by doing a small dance step to the side while Lloyd ended up slipping on his face. Celsius then followed up with an uppercut, which the Guardian also dodged by bending backwards. Presea went for a vertical stab into the ground, causing rock and ice to break up and aim directly at their target. Fahrenheit used her hands to flip backwards avoiding the debris and caught Colette's Chakram, only to throw it right back at her.

"FLAME LANCE!" Genis shouted and the air condensed into a flaming lance that went to strike the Guardian.

Fahrenheit twisted her body in the air so that the attack flew by her side. She then drew a large circle with her hand and placed her palm on it, causing a dark blue spell circle to appear.

"You're going to have to do better than that! FREEZE LANCER!" Many icicles erupted from the spell circle and aimed at everyone in the room.

Lloyd, who was still struggling to get up on the slippery ice, was pinned down by his jacket, Presea used the flat of her Gaia Cleaver to block the flying projectiles, the mages had to cancel their attacks and summon their shields, the more physical dodged any that came their way, and Zelos managed to release his Eruption attack before he slipped onto his rear. Fahrenheit used her aerobics to easily dodge the lava that had spewed out from underneath her.

Sheena and Reikoku dodged through the swarm of icicles like mirror images and both struck at the same time. "OUTBURST/DEMON SEAL!" They both shouted at the same time.

Reikoku slashed through the air, which left flaming imprints that zoomed forward, and Sheena threw a card into the midst of it. Fahrenheit stood cockily waiting for the attack to reach her. Just before it hit though, the card exploded in a mass of demonic souls and a fiery blaze sending Fahrenheit sliding backwards, a little blood spilt from her lip. She wiped it off and stared at the red substance in shock then looked up, her whole body shaking violently.

Her eyes suddenly started sparkling. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" She squealed causing everyone to fall over. "I haven't bled in my life! At least now I know I'm not a hemophiliac!"

Sheena glanced at Celsius. "How is she related to you again..?"

Celsius just smacked her forehead. "Just… don't ask…"

Presea had just plucked the icicles that pinned Lloyd down, therefore freeing him. "Thanks Presea, now I can get back into this fight!"

"The enemy is… tricky." Presea muttered.

"Well her technique is probably the only way you can tell her and Celsius are related." Lloyd mused and rubbed his chin.

On the other side of the room, Raine approached Zelos who was still struggling to stand on his own two feet. "Zelos, you have the Flame Crest, correct?"

Zelos dug around in his pocket till he found it. "Yeah, what about it?"

"It's your new element, so you must unlock its powers somehow. Get in danger on purpose, sprout your wings, anything! Your attack could be the deciding factor in this fight!"

"Well, sprouting my wings is definitely out of the question. Do you remember the mess you had to heal before?"

"Well, you just might have to. Genis and I will guard you until you figure out how to use it."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you my Ultra Cool Beauty! …And the brat."

While Zelos meddled with the crest, everyone had begun to attack the acrobatic Guardian once more. She continued to make dodging Lloyd and Presea's seem like child's play and taunted her sister all the while. Fahrenheit just seemed to be having the time of her life!

"Take this, you annoying pest!" Celsius shouted and pounded her fist into the ice covered floor.

Icicles sprouted from all angles and made their way around the room in order to skewer the Guardian. Fahrenheit frowned and stood still with crossed arms, allowing the attack to hit her. To everyone's surprise, she had not a single scratch on her from the attack as she broke out of the ice prison.

"Dear sister, don't you realize that you can't hurt me with my own element-" She was abruptly cut off when she was sent flying into the wall, Celsius landing where her sister had once stood. Apparently she had just kicked Fahrenheit's face in.

"Heh, that was pretty sneaky of you!" Fahrenheit coughed up a little blood and smeared away any other traces before getting up. "I won't fall for the same thing again though- AHH!" She yelped and jumped out of the way before she had been impaled by yet another one of Genis' Flame Lances. "Damnit, now you're all just ganging up on me!"

"That's the point!" Sheena shouted as she threw her cards in order following the dashing Guardian, each of them flame enhanced till her Sylva Seals started to wear off. "Crap!"

Fahrenheit took this as an opportunity when Reikoku stopped her in her tracks. "WOLF'S REIGN!" He then started to parry at her with his fists and claws before ending off with several kicks and one in mid air.

She had gone on the defensive, but still felt all the impact damage, then was sent skidding backwards with his final blow. She felt ice and debris scrape against her back and turned to see Presea slicing aside some of the snow to cloud her vision. While distracted, Lloyd went in and made his swords deliver several parries that scraped her body further.

"SWORD RAIN: ALPHA!" He shouted as he delivered the final uppercut slice. "But let's not stop there! RISING FALCON!" He finished off the combo by dive-bombing, swords first, at the impaled Guardian.

On reflex, Fahrenheit dodged to the side, avoiding being skewered, but she still had a large bloody gash on her left shoulder as Lloyd landed. She was no longer having fun as she glared at everyone standing defiantly before her. Her body was scraped and bruised and bloody as anything. She then saw the angel girl and the orange wearing woman in the back beginning their attacks, as well as seeing the redhead in behind the mages fiddling with something. She squinted trying to see what it was then her eyes widened. Being a Guardian, she knew exactly what kind of damage that crest could do.

"SHIT!" She shouted before jumping up and running past everyone else and dodging Colette's repeated Para Ball assault. "If he figures out how to use that thing then I'm screwed!" Now she was beginning to think that having everyone attacking her wasn't the smartest idea.

Celsius went to punch her sister's lights out, but only became Fahrenheit's footstool as she bounced off her head. Zelos yelped when he saw the Guardian running on a bee-line towards him almost dropping the Flame Crest before Genis and Raine stood in front of him. Fahrenheit drew her hand through the air with her ice mana, causing the air to condense into a curved rigid ice sword, which she gripped with both hands. She jumped and hoped to impale the boy holding the crest as she threw the sword. The smaller sorcerer summoned a quick spell.

"RAGING MIST!" Almost immediately, the entire area around him, his sister and Zelos melted into molten lava that did no harm to them but caused the ice sword to melt inches before it hit Zelos.

Raine followed up with her own new spell as she gripped her Earth Crest in her left hand and her staff rose above her head in her right hand. "POISON IVY!" Plants shot out from all around the room and bound the Guardian in midair, tightening every time she struggled.

Fahrenheit was now prone to all their attacks. She panicked but noticed that her sister's master was summoning more of those silly Sylva Seals. That gave her a great idea to end this battle.

"Okay, I admit you're all a lot stronger than I originally took you all for, but now it's time for me to end this!" Her body began to pulsate with mana and her icy blue eyes glowed fearsome silver. "It's time for the return of the ice age! FROZEN TUNDRA!"

The temperature in the room dropped dramatically as a flurry of ice and snow began to form. The bonds that held Fahrenheit snapped like frozen icicles allowing her to drift to the floor and become the center of the storm. Everyone summoned their shields in vain to block out the frigid chill but they just shattered from their frozen state. Reikoku couldn't see anything but noticed his body was slowly turning to ice and screamed when he realized it was slowly creeping all through his body. This was happening to everyone else as well till they were nothing but ice statues. The storm slowly ended so it could be revealed that only Celsius and Fahrenheit were left standing, since Celsius was immune to ice element attacks as well.

Fahrenheit wiped her forehead. "Phew, I nearly bit the bullet on that one!"

"But you wasted a lot of your mana with that attack; plus you're all but beaten to a pulp. Now I can finish you off with ease." Celsius explained.

"Not at all, I can quickly regenerate my mana while I'm fighting you. It's one of the neat things you get for being a Guardian; you can regenerate your mana while fighting in a short amount of time." Fahrenheit replied.

They were about to go in and fight once more when a strong pulse of mana from somewhere interrupted them. They searched for the force till their eyes landed on the Zelos ice statue. To their surprise, they saw orange wings break through the back of the ice, which flared like fire. The ice covering the Chosen of Tethe'alla melted slowly till he was standing still and his eyes flared red like the Flame Crest in his grip. Fahrenheit gasped and summoned another spell circle for a Freeze Lancer attack. The icicles merely melted before they could even get close to the redhead as he walked towards them, ice melting wherever he stepped.

"No, I can't believe he unlocked the crest's powers even though he was frozen!" Fahrenheit cried as she backed off but Celsius held her wrist.

"Yes, he's stupid, but he'll be able to kick your ass for good!" Celsius then threw her sister towards Zelos' fiery form before retreating somewhere safer. "Have fun!"

Fahrenheit screamed as Zelos raised the crest over his head, flaming mana spiraling from his arm and all around him, which melted the ice that imprisoned his friends, just in time for them to see his attack. "VOLCANO IGNITION!" Spirals of fiery mana blew down from above and blasted the Guardian with their destructive rage.

Fahrenheit screamed further till it was all over and she fell to the ground defeated and burnt to a crisp. Everyone gathered around and Celsius appeared once more, to see that the Guardian was still in fact alive. Zelos blinked and looked around.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked then shouted when he saw his wings and quickly pulled them back in, leaving a large tear in the back of his white jacket.

Fahrenheit coughed painfully but grinned despite all that. "So… I've been defeated. Heh, I have a hand it to you, you sure know how to have a party…" She weakly raised her right palm and silver sparkled in it till the Ice Crest appeared once more. "I give it to… my sister's master. It will only activate when sis has been summoned…"

Sheena accepted the crest and immediately everyone felt its effects, except for Reikoku of course. All of their weapons turned a new silvery color that glowed brightly.

"But what's going to happen to you?" Sheena asked Fahrenheit.

"Don't worry about me… I'll be fine in a few hours… then I'll go look for a new job." She laughed causing everyone to give her an odd look.

But none the less, they left the temple with the Ice Crest in their possession.

They were now half way through their journey.

* * *

**Aisu: **Hope you guys liked it! I think this is one of my favorites out of the ones I've already submitted. You have no idea how hard that fight scene was. Ten people fighting at once... each getting a bit of action... x.x; 

Fahrenheit was fun to write about. Her name was pretty unanimous to me. XD; Plus you learned a little bit more about Guardians. Yay for Zelos' new attack as well! And yay for Reikoku helping them! -huggles him- Hopefully chapters will come on time now that my sister has finally let me use her laptop.

**Next Chapter:** The team's now halfway through their quest to find the Elemental Crests. At their next destination when Lloyd mysteriously goes missing without a trace. What happened to the loveable swordsman?

Next update 'hopefully' next Friday! Till then, please leave a review! Let's try to reach 50 reviews before my next update. :D


	14. Slypher Mountains

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do, However, Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu: **Hm... I guess my absence really had an effect. Only one review. Aw well. A special thank you to my only reviewer last chapter: **Miori942**! You rock! Also thanks to the others who simply read last chapter.

I'm on Chapter 20! That means this story is over 300 pages long and almost reaching its 100,000 word mark! YAY! This is the biggest story I've ever done! And I even feel like I can even finish it! Just so I don't jinx it... -knocks on wood-

Just to let you know, the next few chapters are going to be... odd. I'll tell you that much. Don't worry, it's meant to be like that. I thought I'd do it since all my other chapters have been so serious... especially where I'm going with this story. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 14: Slypher Mountains 

"Man, that's more than enough excitement for me today…" Reikoku sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know how you guys do it."

Soon after they exited the temple, they left through the tunnel they had passed through before till they were faced with the Anubis guards. They had to plead their side of the fight, almost starting yet another fight, till Lady Ookami arrived on the scene. Though she seemed quite out of it, thanks to the Piku, but she lifted the charge off of their shoulders so long as they didn't pull a stunt like that again. This, of course, led to more arguments among them about how it was the Anubis' fault that they were in conflict anyway. All of them were too tired to argue so they left the problem hanging in the air till they felt like solving it. Reikoku accompanied them all as they went to leave.

"Well we've saved the world before so it's not much of a big deal." Lloyd said casually with a shrug.

Reikoku blinked in confusion but shook it off. "So, you're all leaving now? Why don't you stay the night at least to rest?"

"We would, but it appears that our presence would rile up your people again, especially if Sheena were among us." Raine said.

"I guess… It's a shame really. I wanted to repay you in some way for all the trouble I and my people caused you all." The Anubis said rather disappointedly.

"But you did! You helped us defeat Fahrenheit!" Colette pointed out.

"I didn't do much…"

"It was enough for us." Genis said with a grin.

"Just take the damn compliment, Wolfie!" Zelos said exasperatedly.

"We appreciate all your efforts." Presea said.

Reikoku blushed, a bit embarrassed by the attention. "It… it was nothing…"

Sheena approached him. "I know we may be on opposing sides right now, but I feel I can trust you. The fact that you helped us escape and you thought it all through only proves it further." She smiled and turned away. "Once this journey is done and the world is saved once more, you can all return to Mizuho freely."

The wolf-man's eyes widened before softening once more. "I'll try in anyway to persuade Lady Ookami to abandon the idea of collecting the Elemental Crests to destroy Mizuho. They're all yours."

Everyone smiled and waved their goodbyes to Reikoku before leaving Ausuei Village with yet another crest in their possession.

"So, where to next?" Zelos asked casually.

"You're certainly more into this journey than you have been." Sheena mentioned inquisitively.

The redhead shrugged. "What can I say? We're halfway done and I've got my very own gem that can give me some pretty kick ass powers. I might as well finish what I've started and get it over with." He grinned wryly. "I also need to protect my hunnies when they get into trouble."

"Ugh, get lost you philanderer." Sheena spat in disgust.

"I will, in your love…" He added and earned a punch to the face.

"You're such a weasel!"

"Anyways…" Presea said cutting away from the argument. "Where is our next destination?"

Raine took out their needed piece of the map. "We have a choice between the Slypher Mountains or Raizen Country. The Slypher Mountains would be closer from where we are." She explained, analyzing the drawing carefully.

"Let's go there then. Where about is it?" Lloyd asked taking a look for himself.

Genis peeked over as well. "It looks like it's on the other side of Latheon Gorge."

"Oh, isn't that the place we met the storyteller and got the Mana Leaf Herb?" Colette asked.

"Yes, it is." Raine stroked her chin thoughtfully. "It should take us only a few hours to reach there. Strange though, I wonder how anybody could live there?"

"Maybe they inhabit inside the mountain." Presea suggested.

"I'm very curious about this." Raine said not in a confused tone, but a rather excited one.

"Uh oh, the Professor's going to go Ruin-Mode again on us!" Lloyd chuckled nervously and backed away.

In a flash, Raine's staff was cracking against Lloyd's skull. In minutes, they were back in the crisp winter air of the Ice Continent and were now scaling the cliff so that they could prepare the Rheairds once more for flight. This only took a little while considering the groove Presea had made with her ax was still there and it had firm foot holes they could climb on. Though the icy wind slowed their progress, it didn't take long before the Rheairds' engines were running and warming them up as they took off.

"I wonder what the next Guardian will be like. I could be the toughest one we've faced yet!" Lloyd said excitedly and did a corkscrew to express it further.

"Lloyd Irving, remember what happened when you did that last time?" Raine scolded.

Lloyd frowned and pulled the Rheaird back with the others once more. They were traveling at a fair pace, as they left the boundaries of the Continent of Ice, the wind blowing past them throwing their hair around wildly. There weren't too many conversations going around, maybe a couple or so between friends, but other than that it was a peaceful flight. That was until Presea broke the silence with an announcement.

"We are approaching the South Tethe'allan Continent. Our destination is in sight." She announced mechanically.

As always, her statistics were at top notch. They could see Latheon Gorge up ahead and Heimdall surrounded by the Ymir Forest to the West. But their destination was to the East of the gorge at the large mountain protruding in the center of a mess of other sized mountains. It looked as though hiking through the mountains was going to be a high possibility, but they dreaded the rough terrain and number mountains they would have to hike over to get there. By the time they did make it, it would probably be too late, but there didn't look like there was anywhere they could land.

"Damn, it looks like we may be in for a long hike…" Sheena cursed as they circled around the mountains range.

"I remember reading about the Slypher Mountains in a book once." Raine said catching their attention. "It wasn't a very well done book and had very little information, but it said that the mountains were designed to keep away any who tried to harm the Deku people."

"Deku People?" Zelos repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, apparently they inhabit in the mountains somehow and are the only source in all of Symphonia. They became slowly extinct when researchers wanted to do experiments on them so that's why they chose here to live." Raine explained.

"If the research was anything like they did with Corrine, I wouldn't blame them." Sheena said, getting a little mournful at the thought of her old friend.

"So what are we going to do?" Genis asked trying to keep everyone on task. "Are we going to hike all the way up or are we going to fly some of the way?"

"Well, the only people here who can fly are you Genis, Colette and Zelos." Raine explained as her mind began to strategize. "Genis probably could take at least two people with him, depending on their size and Zelos and Colette could probably take one each. That would be enough."

"Wait a minute; you're involving my wings again! You know I hate them!" Zelos shouted in protest. "It's a total mess whenever they come out!"

"Zelos, remember the battle with Fahrenheit? Did I have to heal you at all?" Raine asked.

The redhead thought for a moment. "Well, maybe a few cuts and crapes, thank you very much my Cool Beauty, but nothing else."

"Exactly, and you had brought out your wings at that time hadn't you?" Raine grinned.

"What! Why the hell didn't you heal my back!" Zelos demanded in a panicked tone.

"Probably because there isn't anything there." Colette said since she was behind Zelos. "There's a big hole in your jacket, but no blood or scars. That's weird since you didn't complete the World Regeneration ritual."

Zelos tried to look over his shoulder. "Wow, even when I was a tyke I had huge scars running down my back from when they first popped out. Now they're not there."

"I think it might've happened when you received the Flame Crest." Lloyd explained. "If I remember correctly, it went something like this…"  
_  
Zelos wandered over to him. "Hey, do you have that Elemental Crest still?" _

Lloyd dug around in his pocket and pulled out the ruby crest. "Yeah, but it doesn't react to me at all."

"Give it to me then." The redhead more demanded then asked.

Lloyd complied and gave the crest to Zelos and it immediately started to flare to life with ruby light. New power encircled them all and their weapons changed from their light blue color to a deep hue of red.

"Well isn't that the damnedest thing? I guess my heroics were worth it." Zelos laughed before he noticed something strange. "Hey, my back doesn't hurt anymore!"

Zelos stared blankly. "I never thought of that before. I guess it does make sense if that's how it happened." He groaned. "That means I can to use my wings whenever I want…"

"Sorry man, but you're stuck with the task this time." Lloyd laughed. "If I was able to get my wings back then I would take your place, but the things haven't come out since we defeated Mithos. No matter how hard I try, I can't make them come out."

Zelos snorted. "Lucky bastard. Fine, I'll take the job, but I want to carry my voluptuous hunny!" He dreamy gaze turned towards the said woman.

"Like hell!" Sheena snapped.

"Let us look at this from a different perspective." Presea said and began her explanation. "Genis can only take two people and they would need to be able to fit and maintain themselves. For example, the Professor has experience as well as Lloyd, but Colette had said before that the Professor was hard to carry while in flight, therefore Lloyd would have to be carried and the Professor will ride with Genis. That leaves someone lighter to ride, so I will take the last spot since I am the smallest." Genis did a little cheer on the inside. "That leaves Lloyd and Sheena to decide among themselves who will-"

"I CALL COLETTE!" Lloyd shouted cutting off Presea.

"Damnit!" Sheena cursed.

"Ouch… no one loves me..." Zelos muttered sadly.

"… So I guess it's settled." Presea said finally.

"I see a clearing down below! It's closer to the main mountain too!" Genis announced and pointed towards the area they were circling around.

Indeed there was a small clearing in the rugged terrain and forests that looked like it could barely fit one Rheaird. "It's perfect! We'll have to go one at a time though while the rest circle around waiting for their turn." Raine said.

"I'll go down first!" Lloyd called excitedly and before anyone could complain, he steered his Rheaird to descend.

It had been a rather rough landing, Lloyd not used to being so careful on a Rheaird, but he made it with only a few scratches and chips off the red paint. He dismounted and took a quick peek around the area. He was surrounded by a dark, but rather tropical looking forest with trees that held stuff like coconuts and bananas. There were animals skittering about on all fours climbing, digging or flying. It was all around peaceful and tranquil. Lloyd pulled off his wing pack and as usual, the Rheaird magically shrunk and fitted neatly inside the pack among the other items of their journeys. As he shouldered the strap of the pack, he heard something rustle in the bushes.

He looked over but saw nothing. "Must be a squirrel or something." He thought out loud with a shrug. He stared up at the sky for his friends when he heard the same bush rustle once more and he fearlessly drew his Vopal Sword with his right hand. "Okay, I know that something's there now."

He walked over carefully, heightening all his senses for any danger that might be around, then carefully parted the bush and stabbed his sword in. A furry creature screeched and ran away like greased lightning before Lloyd could get look, but he safely assumed it was a squirrel. He was about to walk about but something glinted in the corner of eye that caught his attention. He separated the bush once more and his eyes nearly bugged from their sockets.

It was an Elemental Crest! The jewel was a shade of beryl green that was accentuated by the usual gold plating it was mounted on. Judging by the color and design, drifting back to what he saw in the Meltokio Library, Lloyd believed it was the Wind Crest.

"What a lucky find! The Guardian must've been pretty stupid to have dropped this! Now all I have to do is wait for someone else to come down and we can go look for the next one!" Lloyd said to himself gleefully.

_I think not! _

"What!" Lloyd shouted and drew his Vopal Sword once more since his left hand had the Wind Crest. "Who the hell- AHHHHH!"

**- X –**

The rest of the group took around three minutes each to land and pack up, then explore around the forest. What confused them all though was that Lloyd was no where to be found. They looked up trees, under rocks, sent out Genis and Zelos to see if he was taking a bathroom break, all turning up with nothing.

"I'm worried about him…" Colette said sorrowfully.

"I wonder what's going on." Genis thought out loud and crossed his arms. "He would never take this long to show up, plus I doubt he would keep us waiting like this. He WAS the one who was most excited about fighting another monster."

"Do you think…" Sheena trailed off as she turned her gaze to the rigid path. "That he would start up the mountain without us?"

"We probably would've seen him from above if he was trying to." Raine pointed out.

Presea separated some bushes and looked around. "I have located an abnormality." Her tone was suspiciously soft.

Everyone gathered around and looked to see what she had found. It was Lloyd's Vopal Sword lying in what looked like a large crater. It was singed at the edges and smoke could still be seen rising.

"What in the…" Zelos started in clear shock, unable to even finish his sentence.

"Oh no!" Colette gasped and covered her mouth, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"What the heck is going on here?" Genis demanded to no one in particular.

Raine knelt down and inspected the hole and sword. "It looks like this happened just recently; the earth is still smoking. But there is no proof that he was killed. He could've just dropped his sword and fled in the dangerous situation." She looked up. "He could still be around here somewhere."

This lifted spirits a bit, but they wouldn't be happy until they found the boy. "Then where should we start looking?" Sheena asked.

"I'm not sure. Everyone split up and comb the area. We'll meet back here in fifteen minutes." Raine ordered and they all went in different directions, the Professor picking up Lloyd's Vopal Blade to return once they found the boy.

Somewhere in the trees though, small black eyes were watching them all carefully.

**- X - **

As planned, they all met back, but each was empty-handed.

"Did any of you find him?" Raine asked but received no's all around. "This is very strange."

"I'm so worried about him." Colette whimpered and hid her emotions behind her hands, saying a silent prayer.

"If this is a practical joke, then I swear to Martel I'm kicking that kid's ass." Zelos muttered sourly, letting out his worries in a different fashion then mourning.

"Even if it was, I know Lloyd would never go this far." Genis said as he stroked his chin in thought. He groaned though and yanked on the longer strands of his silver hair. "This doesn't make any sense! What the heck is going on here?" He shouted once more.

There was more rustling, but this time from the trees, followed by a plop. They all turned around to see that it was in fact… a bird. And not just any bird, but a parrot. Colette gasped and quickly went to pick it up, being the animal lover she was. Everyone else ignored it since Lloyd was more important right now. Colette was still worried about Lloyd, but she couldn't ignore the poor creature.

"Aw, poor birdie, you fell out of the tree." She cooed and stroked its head, the bird just staring back blankly.

Colette tilted her head to the side as she examined the parrot. It was red with a large black beak and had an auburn comb. It had red wings with black at the tips of the feathers and a white crest. Its legs were a bluish color and had a long tail with white stripes starting from its neck to around mid way on its tail. Lastly, on its right side, there was a tee shape but on the left there was none.

"You're a strange little birdie aren't you? Oh, you're a parrot so can you say my name? Try saying, 'Colette.'" She urged the parrot.

It made a strange gurgling noise before it chirped. "Brawk! Colette!"

"Wow, good job!" Colette praised and got up from the ground, bird in her arms.

"Colette… Help. Brawk!" It tried again.

Colette looked down surprised. "Help? You want help?" She held it out in front of her.

The parrot whistled. "Help Lloyd, brawk!"

"You know where Lloyd is!" Colette gasped, believing the parrot was probably the most intelligent thing alive by now. "Where is he?" It paused for a moment, as if it was thinking hard. "What's wrong, birdie?" The parrot hopped out of Colette's arms and rather clumsily flapped its wings till it fell flat. "You're pretty silly; I've never seen a bird that can't fly before."

The parrot ruffled its feathers then took long strides and flared out its wings as if they were in the way. "Up the mountain, brawk!" It squawked.

"Up the mountain… You mean Lloyd went up the mountain?" Colette tried to clarify as she crouched down in front of the bird, which bobbed its head vigorously. She mimicked the action for fun. "You know what; I think I'm going to name you Tookie!" The bird drew in its head, as if to cringe at the idea.

Genis wandered over next to Colette as she picked up the parrot. "What are you doing Colette? We have to find Lloyd!" He said.

"Tookie said he went up the mountain!" Colette chirped and patted the bird on the head.

"… Tookie?" Genis repeated. "A bird you named Tookie said he was up the mountain?" She nodded happily. "And you believe that?"

"Yeah! Tookie's really smart; she can even say my name!" Colette said and 'Tookie' froze.

"She?" Genis and the parrot repeated causing the half elf's gaze to shoot over to the bird.

"Yeah! Hey Tookie, try saying Genis. Geeeeeenis." She stressed.

If you looked close enough, you could've seen its beak twist up a bit. "Brat!"

"Excuse me!" Genis shouted. "My name's Genis!"

"Brat!"

"Genis!"

"Brat!"

"Genis!"

"Brat!"

"I like the way this thing thinks!" Zelos said walking over and putting his face right in front of the parrot. "Can you say: The Beautiful, Handsome, and Totally Awesome Great Zelos Wilder?"

Tookie shook its head. "Lecher!"

Zelos was taken back. "I'm a what?"

Genis was cracking up. "That's Zelos alright!"

By now everyone was walking over to see what was going on. "Tookie, could you say Sheena?"

"Boobs!" The parrot cooed.

Sheena cringed. "I don't think parrots should know those kinds of words."

"What about… Presea?" Colette asked pointing at the said girl.

"Robot!" It squawked.

Presea could only tilt her head to the side in wonderment.

"What about the Professor?" Colette asked again, pointing at Raine this time.

Tookie shriveled up in fear. "Scary!" She squawked.

"It's brilliant!" Raine squealed ignoring her nickname. "I MUST DISSECT IT!" In the blink of an eye, she had a small case in her hand from her robes and opened it revealing assorted knives and other pointed objects.

The parrot screeched and attempted to flap its wings erratically just so it could get away, but Colette held it. "No Professor, not after she told me Lloyd went up the mountain already!" Colette protested.

Raine blinked then put away the kit reluctantly. "Fine, but you said he went up the mountain already? I wouldn't put it beyond him…"

"It was pretty careless of him to leave behind his Vopal Sword though." Genis said, glancing at the sword Raine held.

"Does this mean we're going up?" Sheena asked wearily.

"I guess so… but I'm not sure why I trust the word of a pinioned creature." Raine muttered and glanced over to see Colette happily talking to the parrot. "Genis, get your staff out."

Genis gave her an odd look but obeyed anyway; extending his staff so it could fit more passengers for flying. Sheena approached Colette and whispered something in her ear. Colette smiled and nodded before going up to Zelos, holding Tookie out to him.

"Mr. Zelos, could you hold Tookie for me?" She asked innocently while the parrot stared at her like she was crazy.

"But of course, my Little Angel!" Zelos chirped and held the bird in his hands. "Anything for you, as long as it doesn't decide to crap in my hands." You could tell the parrot was making a mental note to do that later. "Well, it's time to go my Voluptuous-" He paused when he saw Colette taking off with Sheena and Genis, Presea and Raine riding off as well. "HEY! I thought I was going to fly you up!" He whined then looked down to see Tookie cocking her head to the side at him. "… So I'm flying with a buzzard..?" She gave him an indignant look.

So he summoned his angelic golden wings and took off as well. As strange as it felt, he began to have an argument with Tookie about his name not being Lecher. That is, until everyone told him to shut up. They proceeded fairly easily, increasing altitude every minute, only taking breaks to rest, eat or answer the call of nature. It all went smoothly till something zoomed by Genis causing all aboard his staff to spin for a moment, wings flapping furiously to regain the steady pace.

"What the heck was that!" Genis yelped as he turned his head this way and that, trying to find the perpetrator.

"Unidentified object. Cannot be detected. Proceed?" Presea spoke mechanically as she hugged Genis from behind him to regain her balance. He blushed though, thinking it was for different reasons.

"KYA! What are you doing with Number 123!" They all heard the voice, which was rather high but sounded masculine, but couldn't find them.

"Number what? Where are you?" Zelos demanded as he spun around in circles.

"I'm behind you, Shorty!" They all turned around to see who it was.

It was a small man that looked like an elf with long pointed ears, but probably wasn't. If they stood next to him, he would've only been as tall as up to their knees. He had a pointed red hat, a small blue cloak on and what looked like a feather for a tail, as well as tiny red sandals. Even though a shrimp calling Zelos 'Shorty' was pretty surprising, that wasn't what they were surprised about. It was what he was riding on.

"You're riding on Number 123, Shrimpy!" He shouted at Genis.

"But… you mean this is yours?" Genis asked referring to his Shining Radiance staff. "But… you already have one. Where the heck did you get that?"

Indeed, the small man was riding on a smaller version of Genis' staff. It was a metallic green and had a strange crystal orb where Genis' sapphire would've been, along with the large feathered wings that kept it flying.

"We invented them, Shrimpy! You stole the prototype version we were going to give to Plucky! I thought it had gotten lost, but it turns out you stole it!" He screamed at Genis.

"Hold on." Raine said cutting in. "We dug this up in an archeological dig site. There wasn't anyway for us to steal it if it was underground."

"… Really? So Plucky DID throw it off the mountain. Silly me!" He began laughing like a lunatic.

"And you call US thieves…" Sheena muttered while still in Colette's grip.

"Who are you?" Colette asked.

"Hm… I've never been in contact with the human race since we founded Slypher Mountain, but what the hey! I'm Mooch, one of the Deku that live here!" Mooch introduced himself.

"You're pretty trusting…" Zelos muttered raising an eyebrow.

"So you're one of the Deku I read about!" Raine said in a fascinated tone. "My name is Professor Raine Sage; this is Presea Combatir and my brother Genis. Over there is Colette Brunel, Sheena Fujibayashi and Zelos Wilder. One of our other companions is-"

"HOLY CRAP! ANOTHER ONE!" Mooch screamed pointing at the parrot Zelos was holding.

"Why are you pointing at Tookie that way?" Colette asked a little defensively.

Mooch stared at her like she was absolutely nuts. "That's not a parrot! That's a person! One of the Deku went nuts and started turning our people into animals; they must've transformed it too!"

"You mean… that's actually someone transformed into a parrot?" Raine clarified.

"Yeah, but he's not one of the Deku, that much I can tell you. Maybe you could figure it out because when transformed, the animal looks much like the original person." Mooch pointed out.

"Well we might not even know the person!" Sheena snapped.

"Something has been bothering me about that parrot." Presea said catching everyone's attention. "Does it not look like someone familiar?"

Zelos held the bird out. "Now that you mention it… brown hair, white stripes, all red, some blue…" He paused then went over the checklist once more.

"It couldn't be…" Sheena gasped.

"The resemblance is uncanny." Raine said gravely.

"Oh, and I've been calling him Tookie and a girl!" Colette blushed at her mistake.

"Is that…" Genis started in disbelief.

"LLOYD?"

* * *

**Aisu: **Heh, Lloyd the parrot? That's a new one. XD; You can't tell me you didn't suspect it. I didn't know what other animal Lloyd could possibly be. 

**Next Chapter: **Mooch proves to be a very... odd ally. First Lloyd is a parrot, and then yet another transformation; just how the heck did that happen? And Genis learns a little more about his staff.

Remember; next chapter, next Friday! Till then, please leave a review. :D


	15. Tree of Life

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do, However, Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu: **YAY! Thank you all for your support! I've officially reached over 50 reviews! Thank you all for reading my story up to this point. :D As for last chapter, thank you **KawaiiNekoLover, Miori942, **and **noctepanther** for your reviews and **noctepanther **for getting my 50th! And thanks anonymous people for simply reading!

Okay, last chapter, I realize there were quite a few issues with missing letters and the flashback ending at the wrong place. I think FF has something to do with it because I checked my word file and it didn't have any of those mistakes. Just to see if it happens again, I made sure to reread this chapter several times and I think it's okay for those problems. Inform me if you happen to see errors like that again. Thanks! (Just don't include Lloyd the Parrot's grammar issues; those were on purpose.)

As I warned before, these next couple chapters are going to be odd. You thought Mooch was crazy? Wait until you see- wait... I don't want to spoil it. XD;

ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter 15: Tree of Life 

"Something has been bothering me about that parrot." Presea said catching everyone's attention. "Does it not look like someone familiar?"

Zelos held the bird out. "Now that you mention it… brown hair, white stripes, all red, some blue…" He paused then went over the checklist once more.

"It couldn't be…" Sheena gasped.

"The resemblance is uncanny." Raine said gravely.

"Oh, and I've been calling him Tookie and a girl!" Colette blushed at her mistake.

"Is that…" Genis started in disbelief.

"LLOYD?"

"Yes?" 'Tookie' chirped.

"Wait… you're Lloyd?" Sheena managed to splutter.

"Brawk, yup." The parrot squawked and ruffled its feathers.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Genis demanded and nearly fell off his staff when he felt the need to go and shake the bird senseless.

Lloyd whistled. "You wouldn't believe a parrot."

"… He has a point." Zelos said.

"How did this happen to you?" Raine demanded, out of concern, but mainly out of fascination.

Lloyd used one of his pinions to rub the top of his feathered head. "Soon after landed, waited then heard a rustling noise." He squawked abruptly. "Checked it out, and found Wind Crest-" He was promptly cut off there.

"YOU FOUND THE WIND CREST?" Raine shouted and nearly fell off of Genis' staff out of excitement. "Where was it? How did you find it?"

Lloyd drew back in fear cooing softly. "In a bush found it. Heard voice then was blasted by light." He whistled. "Turned into this and crest was gone." His head drooped slightly, as if he were ashamed.

Colette looked at the parrot with a tilted head. "You can't seem to say much at a time, can you?" Lloyd shrugged his wings in reply.

"Parrots cannot speak for long periods of time. He must've adopted the habit like a real parrot." Presea said.

"Well, how convenient it was for you to be turned into a parrot!" Mooch laughed causing everyone to look at him strangely. "It's the truth, I'm not crazy! All my friends have been turned into animals like pigs and roosters that can't say a single word. Once you're changed into that animal, you adopt all of its characteristics but only have slight similarities in your unique appearance."

Sheena glanced back at Lloyd. "In that case, we were pretty lucky. That would explain why he can't fly either; he probably doesn't know how his wings work."

"But wait, why was Lloyd's Vopal Sword not be affected when he was transformed?" Raine asked as he held up the blue sword. "Shouldn't it have fused with his body as well like say… his scarves?" She was referring to the white stripes along the parrot's back.

"If he was holding it at the time then it shouldn't happen." Mooch shrugged and Lloyd nodded to show he had been holding it.

"Well, now we know where Lloyd is, and the fact that the Wind Crest is around here, so should we continue up and see if we can find a way to change Lloyd back?" Genis suggested. "Plus my mana is almost completely exhausted…"

"Yeah, mine too." Zelos muttered. "I could use a little recharge, if you know what I mean."

Sheena scowled when she saw Zelos wink in her direction. "Forget it you idiot! Take your perverted ideas and shove them up your ass!"

"We should examine the mountain to see if we can find the crest." Raine said, ignoring the bickering couple. "If we're lucky, we can figure out a way to change Lloyd back as well."

"I can take you to my home and you can try there." Mooch shrugged. "But there's a high chance that you'll all be turned into animals. It's the location where all the transformations are occurring. Not all my friends have been turned into animals though so we could help you to a point." He glanced at Genis. "Shrimpy there may be hassled a bit since he has our prototype staff. It was the best one we ever made so we were all quite pissed when it went missing."

Genis gulped. "What do you mean by hassled?"

"Or you could be praised for finding it and being able to control it; one of the two!" Mooch laughed hysterically.

"Make up your mind!" Genis snapped.

"But seriously, I'll take you to my home if you help us with our problem. Or else…" Mooch added in a spooky tone.

"Or else what?" Sheena challenged.

The Deku grinned slyly. "Each of us has one of these staffs and can use powerful magic. Take that, plus at least thirty pissed off Deku… See where I'm going with this?"

"Can you give us an example of your power?" Presea asked.

"Sure. Hey, Shrimpy, what's one of your strongest wind-based attacks?"

"Stop calling me that!" Genis snapped before thinking a moment. "If you must know… I think it would be Atlas."

"Atlas, good choice! Now take nearly thirty severally pissed off Deku, each performing Atlas…" Mooch left the equation hanging.

"… Okay, we will help you." Presea said and amazingly enough, she sounded a little scared.

Mooch clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! It's not that far away in fact! I'll show you all around and then you can get straight to work!"

"Um… I know this is a big change of subject," Zelos started. "But if this parrot was Lloyd before, then wouldn't that mean…" His eyes widened then narrowed dangerously at the parrot, the poor thing shriveling up in fear. "You called me a lecher!"

"And the only thing you could come up with for me was boobs?!" Sheena shouted in outrage.

The rest followed it up with their nicknames and the tension rose dramatically. Lloyd wished he knew how to fly at that moment.

**- X - **

Soon after Lloyd had his lecture about name-calling from the Professor, the entire party continued up the mountain, led by Mooch. They immediately regretted it. He led them through a history lesson about the mountain and almost every single mossy rock he could find. Like, he and his friends threw a rock at that stone and that's why there were some barely noticeable scratches on it and oh, there's the rock we threw at it! And that's the rock we were standing on while they were doing so. Needless to say, everyone was half asleep, even Raine who had been interested to hear about the history, but was then disappointed with stories about Mooch and his friends with rocks.

"Oh, and I spat on that rock yesterday!" Mooch laughed and pointed at yet another stone that had looked like the million others he had pointed at.

"STOP TALKING ABOUT FREAKING ROCKS!" Zelos shouted, finally snapping. Lloyd squawked in agreement.

The Deku seemed taken aback. "But… I haven't even got to the good part yet!" He protested.

"What good part? All the stupid rocks look the same!" Sheena wailed. "In fact, this whole mountain is made of the same rock!"

"… I'm… so… tired…" Genis wheezed, running critically low on mana, and hung onto a large piece of stone jutting out from the mountain side. The only thing that kept his staff flying was the fact he had passengers.

"Missy took a dump behind that rock the other day." Mooch pointed out, referring to the rock Genis was hanging on to.

"GAH!" The sorcerer wasted no time letting go.

"Could we just continue on, please? Without any talk about rocks for a while?" Raine pleaded and held her head, feeling a migraine setting in.

Mooch looked stupefied. "You don't want me to talk about rocks anymore? Are you sure?"

"YES!" The unanimous cry came from each of them.

"Hm… It's too bad, you almost passed my test." Mooch sighed. "Oh well, back down the mountain you go. If you're lucky, a few of you won't die and will only be very injured." He raised his hand and currents of mana started to form.

Presea became alert. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"You all failed the test, if you had waited ten minutes longer, I would've let you into my lair." Mooch explained. "We give everyone who comes here the patience test and so far, none have passed. You came SO close though! Oh well, see ya!" He was about to send off the attack from his hand but was cut off.

"Wait!" Colette cried. "We need to collect the Elemental Crests in order to save Symphonia! It's going to be destroyed by the Sithom Comet if we don't do something!" She pointed to the sky at the star that was probably the same size as when Zelos had pointed it out to Chocolat previously. Derris Kharlan, thanks to Kratos, was delaying it after all.

"You even want proof?" Genis added and quickly reached into Raine's bag, much to her annoyance, and pulled out the Earth Crest. "Here's one of them! We have three others as well!" Colette, Zelos and Sheena dug through their pockets till they drew out identical crests, only differing in color to show the rather amused Deku. "Plus Lloyd said he saw the Wind Crest around here before he was transformed!"

"Come on, it wouldn't hurt you to help out the previous saviors of Symphonia now, would it?" Zelos asked slyly.

"You'd be doing Symphonia a huge favor." Sheena added.

"AND we said we would help solve you problem with your people transforming into animals." Raine pointed out.

"It is essential that we locate all the Elemental Crests. Once done, we will fuse our power to destroy the Sithom Comet before it reaches Symphonia." Presea explained.

Mooch looked like he was considering it, scrunching his nose in thought.

"Please, help us!" Colette pleaded.

The Deku tilted his head to the side and closed his beady eyes trying to decide. "Sorry, no deal. See ya!" Then he released the torrential storm from his palm directly at them all.

They were all caught off guard since they had been so sure that Mooch would've had a change of heart. So they went for plan B.

Fly away.

It proved to be useless though and all got swept up in the torrential storm, that resembled a controlled version of Cyclone, sending them spinning and flipping on a collision course towards the ground. It was so powerful that they couldn't even hear their own screams or flap their wings to try and slow themselves down. Any who had previously been passengers were swept up along the currents. All was rendered useless so they could only await impact and hope, as Mooch had put it, to end up only seriously injured instead of dead.

Something strange happened just then. The currents of the torrential vortex curved upwards just as they were about to hit, trees losing hundreds of leaves in the process, and were being swept back up the mountain. They barely even saw Mooch waving at them as they came back up. The storm led them to an opening near the mountainside where they managed to squeeze in all together before it all finally stopped and the currents slowed till they could finally drift to solid ground. It took them a long time to finally regain their senses after having their minds spinning for what felt like hours.

Mooch flew in and pulled the staff out from under him so that he could use it as a walking stick. "Well? How did you like my storm?"

"I thought you said you were going to kill us!" Genis shouted while holding his head. "Not that I'm complaining or anything… but still!"

The Deku began his trademark hysterical laughter once more. "You really thought I was going to kill you after hearing THAT story and having proof of it all at the same time? I'd be a fool to abandon Symphonia when it's in need!"

"Well, you could've told us instead of nearly killing us…" Sheena grumbled and massaged her temples.

"But you should've seen your faces!" Mooch laughed until he was rolling on the floor.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Zelos said dryly before looking from side to side. "Hey, where's Lloyd?" He suddenly felt shifting coming from beneath him and raised his body, using his forearms and legs, to see the said parrot squashed beak-first in the ground. "Oops, sorry there, Bud."

Raine managed to stand on her own two feet, a bit wobbly at first, and took a look around. It was dark, that's for certain and the only light was coming from the narrow entrance they were blown through. The rocky walls were covered here and there with crystalline objects that glowed with a swirl of blues and greens, which gave off a gorgeous teal hue. In the opposite direction to the entrance, the tunnel got darker, only faintly lit by the crystals stuck in random parts of it.

"What are these?" The Professor asked, referring to the crystals.

"They're pretty." Colette said in awe.

Mooch finally ended his laughing fit and got up to reply. "I'm not really sure; they were here when we arrived. At first we thought they were diamonds, but they broke much easier and diamonds don't give off this weird light. As we got further though, we found out where they were coming from." The feather-tailed man walked ahead of them and they only watched. "Come on, come on, I'm showing you my home!" He shouted the order despite the fact he only came up to their knees, pointed hat included.

For once, they were thankful to have Mooch with them. The tunnel often split off to several other tunnels, each leading them through twists and turns, narrow openings, some ceiling entrances and more. The only thing lighting their way was the crystals which were different colors as they went along, but were mostly the same as the ones they had seen first. Though they had doubts that Mooch was leading them the right way, they had no choice but to follow him considering how far they had gone in. They couldn't turn back now.

Mooch suddenly stopped in his pace causing much confusion. "What's wrong, brawk?" Lloyd squawked.

A light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. "Are we almost out?" Presea asked.

Without warning, Mooch turned tail and ran waving his arms and his staff around wildly. "RUN AWAY!!!" He shouted.

They all gave him an odd look before staring back at the light that was careening towards them. Lloyd began squawking and flapping his wings wildly.

"Light transformed me!" He screeched.

They took the hint and dove out of the way while Mooch dove to the ground. The light kept a straight path so they believed the threat was over, but it was far from that. The crystals in the walls were convenient for light, but inconvenient for what was occurring now. The light used their reflective surfaces to bounce around the cave erratically, going from one crystal to the next, till it hit a certain end that sent it flying back at them. This all continued on for a while, the game of dodging the bouncing light, till it finally connected with someone. The unlucky victim was none other than the ax wielder, Presea, who cried out before her entire body was surrounded by the light.

"PRESEA!" Genis cried but shaded his eyes due to the increased glare.

It was a few minutes before it finally died down and they were left with only the crystals' faint teal glow. After the spots in their vision had cleared up, they could see the finished product of their friend. Presea was now…

"A bunny!" Colette squealed and hugged the new Presea.

The rabbit was pink for the most part, but then its fur became black at its neck to mid back and on most of the front legs then turned purple like its belly. The purple stopped around part of its hind legs then turned pink once more. It also had gray paws, covering even the whole hind foot, and a cute while tail. Presea scrunched her blue eyes as Colette squeezed her tighter.

"Colette, I think you're hurting her." Sheena winced as the rabbit began kicking its legs in an attempt to get her to let go.

"Colette, dear, I think Presea would like you to let go." Raine tried to reason without upsetting the sensitive girl.

"Aw, okay." Colette whined but loosened her grip so that Presea was simply cradled in her arms.

"Whoa, that was a close one!" Mooch shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnels. "Good thing no one got-" He spotted Presea. "… Oh…"

"Let's just get moving, there's nothing we can do here." Zelos said with a sigh and put Lloyd on his shoulder. "I think claustrophobia is starting to get to me."

"It would be the best idea." Raine agreed glumly. "I think the dark is starting to get to me as well. Lead the way, Mooch."

There was a bit of whining on the Deku's part, but they were soon on their way once more. It took a while, Mooch explaining that all the tunnels were for safety precautions, just in case anyone found the entrance while he, or any other Deku, wasn't there. They soon found light at the end of the tunnel, the Deku not stopping so they safely assumed it was the exit of the crazy maze instead of another transformation light. They were met with a… peculiar sight.

The entire area looked like a giant zoo with hundreds of different animals running around every which way or flying, eating or making messes. Cats, sheep, cows, elephants, frogs, lizards, you name it, it was there. Among the mess of them, you could still see some regular Deku running around cleaning the messes, clad in similar outfits to Mooch's.

Mooch stared up at their shocked or disgusted expressions and sighed. "Don't worry about my friends now, just look up."

They all complied and were met with a magnificent sight. Apparently, this entire mountain was home to a giant tree, which vaguely reminded them of the Kharlan Tree, now known as the Yggdrasill Tree. It was covered in giant crystals that all curved downward till they met at one point. They were all flowing with different colors and some even dripped with dew. Some smaller crystals were hanging down from the larger ones and some even lined the roots and the trunk. The party noticed a faint breeze that blew by, tugging at their hair and clothes, and caused the smaller crystals to hit each other, creating a beautiful chime that overpowered the noise the animals were making.

"I've never seen anything like it…" Sheena uttered in pure awe.

"It's amazing." Genis gasped.

"This is basically our very own Kharlan Tree, or as we call it, our Tree of Life." Mooch explained proudly. "The crystals are what keep us alive and thriving. We use them and carve them into the ends of our staffs." He held out his staff to show off his pearl orb on the top. "They're the power sources of these babies."

Genis took out his own staff and examined the oval sapphire on his. "So that's how this thing works…"

"Of course, since they're separated from the tree itself, they need mana to work. The tree provides us with rich soil for farming, water when those dry days come, and created the winding tunnels we just went through. It simply survives on the mana that emanates throughout the world so we never have to worry. Sure, it was a bit risky at first before you guys saved Symphonia and restored the Kharlan Tree, but that's just old times. We're happy now! Well… we would be if we stopped turning into animals." He glared at the very top of the tree.

Raine noticed this. "Judging by where you're staring, I assume the problem is coming from at the very top of the tree?"

"Yup, that's where Oziron is." Mooch replied.

"Oziron, that's the Guardian's name?" Sheena mused.

"MOOCH! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" A female Deku screamed as she ran up and punched Mooch upside the head, making his pointy hat now smashed in. "I've been shoveling crap all day while you've been off annoying humans, elves, or whatever the hell they are and bringing them home as pets!"

"They tricked me into bringing them, Tsume!" Mooch protested rubbing his miniature head. "They want to help us turn everyone back though!"

"Help my ass! Humans did nothing for us back then-" Tsume paused when she noticed Genis' staff. "What the hell is that kid doing with Number 123?!"

"Tsume, hunny, easy on the language." Mooch tried to calm her and began explaining what had happened outside.

Zelos raised an eyebrow as he licked his finger and held it out in a random direction, leaving the two Deku to bicker amongst themselves. "Strange, this place is almost entirely closed off yet there's still a breeze."

"It is weird. I wonder why it would be windy in a mountain." Colette pondered, subconsciously hugging Presea closer to her to help warm her sudden chill.

"It's too far and complicated for wind to make it all the way through the tunnels…" Genis thought out loud staring back at the cave before turning his attention to the top of the tree that reached the very roof of the mountain. "There must be an opening up there that currents are getting caught in so they can be directed down here."

"But that's where Oziron is." Raine paused and thought for a moment. "I wonder how we could investigate."

"I'll fly up, Professor!" Colette volunteered, handing Presea to Genis, before summoning her pink angel wings. "I'll be careful, don't worry!"

"I guess. I'd prefer if you didn't, but you are skilled in evasion when it comes to fighting. Okay, just be careful and don't go too far." Raine warned.

"I'll be okay!" Colette chirped and lifted off.

Mooch caught sight of this and gasped, breaking off his argument with Tsume. "WAIT! STOP!" Colette heard him and paused in her flight to look down. "NO LOOK OUT!"

The angel looked back and gasped as a shot of light flew towards her at high speed that she barely managed to dodge. Unfortunately, this only caused the light to hit someone else in her party and screamed at her mistake. The next unlucky victim was the Ex-Chosen with golden wings, Zelos. Lloyd had managed to jump away before the light connected, while the others shaded their eyes till the light show was over. The light faded and Sheena picked up…

"HAH! I always knew he was a weasel!" Sheena laughed at the new Zelos' expense as she held him by the scruff of his neck.

Technically, Zelos was now a ferret. He was snow white with red flowing from its forehead to mid back. Its white fur had gold and pink striped here and there and had gray covering most of its hind legs while its tail was white with a black tip. Its front paws were also black while its hind her white.

Zelos didn't seem fazed by Sheena's comment as he simply stared ahead. Sheena looked down at where he was staring and scowled.

"Even as a weasel you're a total pervert…" She put him back down on the ground. "You can walk." Zelos seemed to frown at that, twitching his whiskers in an offended manner.

Mooch sighed in exasperation. "If it had been so simple to just fly up there and take care of it, we would've done it a long time ago! We all kept on getting shot down every time!"

"You people are idiots!" Tsume snapped.

"Now, now, Tsume." Mooch murmured before mouthing to the others 'Ignore her'.

"So what do you suggest we do now?" Genis asked the Deku crossing his arms. "We can't fly up, so how do we get up there?"

"Through a secret entrance of course!" Mooch replied.

"A what now?" Sheena asked.

"There's a secret entrance into the tree. I recommend splitting up. Half of you will fly up, while the other half will go through the tree. Oziron will be distracted so…" He left it hanging.

Colette had a question though. "Why didn't you and the Deku do that in the first place instead of one at a time?"

Mooch held a stupefied expression while Tsume smacked him over the head. "You stupid ass!"

"Mooch, couldn't you send more of your people to go up while we go through the secret entrance?" Sheena asked.

"Sorry, normally I would, but the rest of the Deku are too scared to act as decoys. Almost all their families have been transformed." Mooch apologized.

"It seems we don't have much of a choice." Raine said gravely as she picked up Lloyd and perched him on her shoulder. Now that Zelos was a ferret, he needed a new stand.

"I recommend having Shrimpy go up through the secret entrance." Mooch said and ignored Genis' complains about the nickname. "He can probably do the most damage fighting magic with magic using one of our staffs, let alone the fact it's our best one. Plus, Oziron would probably be too distracted to notice someone coming through the tree."

"Does that mean I'll be choosing my partner?" Genis asked meekly, not liking the position he was in.

Sheena glanced at Colette who was already staring at her with pure determination set in her eyes. She nodded in reply, realizing what she wanted to ask without saying. "Colette and I will be the decoys." Sheena decided. "Genis and Raine can go on ahead and kick Oziron's ass."

Genis' eyes widened. "You mean it? What if you-"

"Don't worry; it's a risk we're willing to take." Colette said.

Raine looked like she was going to disapprove, but rubbed her forehead instead. "I don't know what to say in a crucial time like this."

"Then it's settled." Mooch said and clapped his hands together. "Shrimpy and Scary follow me, Tsume; I want you to send up Blondie and Boobies when I give the signal, okay?"

"Stop with the ridiculous nicknames!" Genis shouted.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Tsume snapped and marched off, leaving everyone to just standing there. "What are you standing there for?! FOLLOW ME MORONS!"

Sheena laughed nervously. "Is she always like that?"

"Don't worry; Tsume wouldn't hurt a fly." Mooch chuckled staring at his girl's retreating form.

"MOVE DAMNIT OR ELSE I'LL KICK YOU SQUARE IN THE ASS!"

"I think we should go." Colette giggled before looking back at the Sage siblings. "Good luck you two!"

"Yeah, kick some serious butt!" Sheena added before the two walked away.

"You too…" Genis said drifting off a little as he stared down at Presea in his arms who matched his gaze, ears drooping. He was full of worry; she could tell, even as a rabbit.

"Come on, come on; let's not keep my baby waiting. She gets feisty when she's impatient." Mooch said and waddled in a different direction towards the tree, Genis and Raine following along with Zelos who slinked behind them.

"We should bring these guys with us, just in case the antidote is up there." Raine said.

Mooch led them behind the tree where he started to push over a large crystal. The Sage's assumed he had been assisted with the task by many other Deku in the past, so they helped him out. Once the crystal was removed, it revealed a large passageway that most likely led to the top of the tree.

"Don't worry; it's all one path this time. There's a ladder in there you take to get up a ways first and then you walk up the rest of the way on the path we carved. It should be stable enough for you guys." Mooch explained. "We invented the staffs so we never really use this passage anymore. Ah well, good luck anyway!"

With that said, the Deku left them to the task of getting up. "Thanks, Mooch." Genis smiled before glancing up at his sister. "Let's go."

* * *

**Aisu:** This was originally going to be an 8000 word chapter... but even 'I' have to admit that's too long! XD; Presea the Rabbit and Zelos the Ferret... Oh my, and there's a high chance that Sheena and Colette will be transformed too. Can you guess what they'll become? 

Anyways, to those who read: The Meltokio Castle Murder Case, I deleted it. Why? I... didn't have any time to work on it and soon lost interest. I reread the chapter, and literally cringed. So that's gone now, but i might rewrite it another time... Sorry to those of you who liked it.

But there will eventually be something to replace that story. Actually, it's not ONE story, but lots of short stories (mainly humor centric) based on the characters, couples, and any other fun events. They're quick, easy, and fun to do. I did three already in one day! So you can look out for Symphonian Tales in the future. :D

**Next Chapter:** Our heroes have finally reached the fearsome, Oziron! In fact, he's so fearsome, that he has Genis keeling over... from laughing too much.

You know the drill; next chapter, next Friday! Till then, please leave a review! Oh, and hope you had a safe Friday the 13th because I sure didn't. XD;


	16. Wind Crest

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do, However, Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu:** Another Friday, another chapter of Harmonia. Thank you **noctepanther** and **Miori942** for reviewing last chapter and the anonymous readers for reading! I had a rough week so I wasn't able to answer your reviews. I'll answer them here right now!

_noctepanter:_ Thanks, Friday the 13th always brings me bad luck, but not bad enough to stop me from updating! I'm glad the grammar wasn't effected as much. Yeah, the Deku are really fun to write about! Mooch is so weird and care-free while Tsume is such a foul mouth. XD; I love them! Oziron... it's just coincidencial because I thought up names on the spot according to an element. Like: Wind... equals Oxygen... equals 'O'... equals... etc. I don't know how my thoughts ended up with Oziron though. XD; I'm glad you like the choice of animals. Zelos was obvious to me while Presea... in her 'Little Madam' costume, she sometimes battles with a pink bunny plush. XD; I had no clue for her.

Oh, and to answer your question, if they were holding an object, it didn't fuse with the victim. Lloyd had been holding the Vopal Sword at the time AND the crest. It wouldn't have been good if the crest had fused with Lloyd. And since Zelos and Presea hadn't been holding anything... yes, their weapons would've fused with them. Thank you so much for reviewing!

_Miori942:_ Oh really? FF is sure being weird these days... O.o; Aw, thanks. Friday the 13th is never good for me. Glad you had fun on yours. :D Presea would definately be an adorable bunny! ... Vorpal Sword? Aw crap. I've been too lazy to edit that... I don't know how many times I've said 'Vopal'. x.x Homer Simpson? XD; I have no clue either... Thank you so much for reviewing!

I don't really have much else to say... except remind you that this is the last of the 'odd' chapters and it's got lots of action! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 16: Wind Crest

Sheena, Colette and Tsume stood by awaiting the signal near the side of the tree, the opposite end of the secret passageway. Tsume tapped her foot on the ground vigorously and growling under her breath the whole time. The two other girls felt a little intimidated; despite the fact they could probably squish her completely with one step.

Unexpectedly, Mooch snuck up right behind her in sucked in his breath. "SIGNAL!!!" He shouted in her ear.

Tsume cried in pain before taking the hint. "Blondie and Boobies, go now!"

They both were a little freaked out by the exaggerated signal, but nodded anyways. Colette sprouted her pinions, which by now took no more effort than twitching her nose, and picked up Sheena under her arms, the Summoner ready with her cards. Then they were off, flying high towards the top of the tree. Almost immediately, a silhouette could be seen peeking over, followed by pulses of light. Colette easily maneuvered their way past the flying lights but gasped at what happened next. The lights changed course and aimed back for them. Sheena figured it was like the time Rom had used his mana to redirect his arrows when he shot them. There was a long period of time where Colette simply dodged the lights till came back and aimed at her once more.

Colette was getting a little frustrated with the process till she got an idea. "Sheena, hold on!" She then zoomed in a different, causing the lights to chase after her.

Sheena complied a little fearfully as the angel zipped them around in random directions, the lights following her every movement, till she went to fly straight into a tree. "Whoa, wait, what are you doing Colette?!"

"Trust me!" Colette replied cheerfully.

At the last second, Colette pulled up and the lights crashed into the mossy bark of the tree, which nullified them completely.

"Alright, Colette!" Sheena cheered but quickly stopped. "Watch out!"

There was another light headed their way and Colette just BARELY managed to fly away from it. "Oops, sorry!"

"Wait a minute," Sheena thought out loud. "It these are lights then…" She pulled out her cards; she had put them away when Colette started to go wild, and focused a Sylva Seal on them. "Then its polar opposite, Darkness, should get rid of it!"

She threw the card at the light, just as it was ricocheting back at them, hoping to nullify the light. It surprisingly didn't work. The only thing that happened was that when the card passed though, it turned into an origami swan. Unfortunately, Sheena didn't throw up her shield in time and Colette couldn't get away, so she was hit and engulfed in light like the others had. Colette had felt a tingling sensation on her hands so she accidentally dropped Sheena in the process. She gasped and ignored the light to catch her once more, but this time she wasn't a human, but a…

"Sheena? You're a fox?" Colette asked and tilted her head. "It must be because of Corrine."

The new Sheena was indeed, a violet fox with a black tuff of fur on her head. Its neck was orange while the rest of its body was a different shade of purple. It also black paws and a black tip on its bushy tail.

Sheena made a sound of distress causing Colette to look up just in time to see the light before it hit her. She cried out because of her carelessness before she too was engulfed in light and they both dropped to the ground. Luckily, Mooch and Tsume were ready with a small tarp to catch the fox and the puppy. Yes, Colette was now her favorite animal, a dog. It had golden fur with a brighter gold on its chest flecked with red. The rest of its body was white up to its mid legs then purple to cut it off. The rest of its legs were black fur till it blended off to white once more.

Mooch sighed. "That's the last of them. All that's left is those two up there. Actually…" He turned back to Tsume. "I'm going to take these two up to see for the antidote. I'll be back hunny."

"Whatever, go on you jackass!" Tsume snapped.

"I love you too." Mooch cooed lovingly and looked down at the two animals that were trying to get used to their new bodies. "Come along, my friends."

**- X -**

In the meantime, Genis and Raine, the sorcerer leading, were traveling through the tunnel and had just finished going up the old ladder. That left the spiral pathway that led to the very top of the Tree of Life. The walls were covered in fewer crystals than the outside but still gave off the same glow. Above, they could see the exit through a hole that was covered by what looked like a wooden hatch. Zelos the ferret trailed along behind the Sage siblings tirelessly while Lloyd remained perched on the Professor's shoulder and Presea stayed, quite content, in Genis' arms.

Genis stumbled a bit on the path, hugging the rabbit closer to his chest. "Geez, I can tell they don't use this route very often. Not only are there cobwebs everywhere, but the path is worn out and about to fall at any moment… hopefully not while we're here."

"There's no use in complaining Genis." Raine said in her sisterly tone. "We can only hope Sheena and Colette are stalling Oziron. Look, the hatch is just up there."

"Thank the Goddess…" Genis sighed, mentally kicking himself for letting Lloyd's annoying boredom habit leak on to him. He instinctively covered his eyes the moment light fell into them but then became confused. "Why is there-"

"It's Oziron! He's figured out we're here!" Raine gasped as a shot of light was blasted, illuminating the cavern-like tree with blinding rays in seconds.

It was aimed at Genis who couldn't do anything but shade his eyes from the sudden shock of light, covering Presea's small blue eyes in the process. He awaited the feeling of his bones melting and regrouping into that of a small animal's but nothing happened. The blinding light was still there though. He forced his sight to adjust to the brightness, but only saw something faintly orange before closing them again. Wait a minute… orange?

Genis' eyes snapped open just in time to see the light finally dim down. "Raine?!" He called frantically and shot his head around, searching. He looked left, right, behind, ahead and above. All that was left was below.

Sure enough there was something there; an owl to be exact. It was golden orange in color while the head was mostly white, save for its bright blue eyes. Its body had black feathers here and there and its feet were pure white like its crest. Genis whimpered and kneeled before his new sister, Lloyd hopping beside him. He must've been blown off when Raine took the hit. Presea hopped out of his arms and Zelos slinked up with his head drooped. They all stared up at Genis, wondering what he would do now. Considering the fact that Oziron had just delivered a blow inside the tree, Sheena and Colette must've been transformed as well and he caught on to their plan.

"And then there was one…" Genis muttered faintly, the crystal flickering by his head reflecting his pained expression. He felt weak and nervous.

The parrot, Lloyd, tilted his head to the side before hopping on to the sorcerer's lap and tugging at something in his belt. The rest caught on and helped, Zelos going in to do more bad then good as he finally tugged out Genis' compact staff but lost his balance and fell over the ledge, staff gripped in his tiny paws. Lloyd hopped over and managed to snag the ferret's tail in his beak but went over himself, only to be caught by the claws by Presea's front paws and Raine held her by the fur. Zelos began chattering in panic when he saw the long fall, but he felt himself being picked up by the sorcerer and placed back onto solid ground, along with Lloyd.

Genis chuckled and smiled down at them before picking up his staff. "You think I should fight? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"Of course, brawk! Help change back." Lloyd whistled. "Bored with short sentences."

This made the sorcerer laugh further until he stared down at his staff, eyes widening dramatically. "That's it…" He breathed before grinning widely and getting up to his feet. "Thanks guys, you'll have your bodies back very soon, I promise!" With that he headed towards the hatch, new determination within him.

Lloyd tilted his head to the side once more. "What happen?" Raine simply shrugged her pinions and hooted in reply.

Zelos tugged on Lloyd's wing with his teeth, to catch the parrot's attention, before nodding towards his back. Lloyd understood and flapped till he landed on the back of the ferret, which in response sped off after Genis, followed by Presea who hopped along quickly. Raine, flapping her wings vigorously, managed to cover one level at a time since like Lloyd; she had a hard time flying.

Genis, who had finally reached the top, extended his staff to push open the hatch slowly and inspect that Oziron wasn't just waiting for him to surface. Once he felt the coast was clear, he climbed out of the passage and looked around. It was barren, no one around at all, but he still kept his staff close to him. The ground he was standing on was the pure crystals of the Tree of Life and some large branches. Above him, as expected was a large opening in the mountain that caught the wind and swirled it through, blowing his hair carelessly. For curiosity's sake, he decided to see the view from up there, stepping to the edge of one crystal and peeking over. The sorcerer had gone quite a ways up. The only thing he could make out was the splotches of colors that were most likely all the Deku that had been transformed into animals.

Genis was shot from his thoughts when he sensed it, a large pulse of mana heading towards him. Unable to do anything else in time, he could only hope his Force Field would be enough to stop it. The light struggled for a moment, dissipating as it tried to penetrate the boy's shield, but barely managed to squeak through and merely pinch the boy's lower back. Genis gave a small yip, feeling the connection, yet he still felt normal… but something was different. He looked back and cried out when he saw the long cat-like tail, colored in blue with a white tip, formed from the fabrics of his outfit. He looked up at the perpetrator and his jaw nearly sagged at what he saw. Who he assumed to be Oziron himself was…

"… A panda?" Genis tried to splutter out.

Indeed, there was a panda standing there battle ready. It looked a lot like the teddy bears you find at a store, with a small green cape and crown to try and make it seem superior. In its grip was a long staff, which had metal on top that spiraled into an upside down cone shape and protected the glowing green orb centered in it. The panda was trying to look serious, but was failing miserably, especially since it was only as tall as up to the boy's knee. It looked more cute than intimidating. Genis began snickering and covered his mouth till he couldn't suppress it any longer and keeled over laughing.

It snarled. "SHUT UP! It's hard to figure your own powers out without accidentally transforming yourself in the process! You will fear me, Lord Oziron, and feel my wrath!" Genis just couldn't get a hold of himself after hearing that. "I said, SHUT UP!!!" With that, he aimed his staff at Genis and cast a Wind Blade attack.

The sorcerer had finally calmed down enough to avoid the attack by simply stepping forward; pulling his new tail behind him to make sure it wasn't sliced. "How can I fight you when you're so… I can't even think of a word for how pathetic you are! I can see how you managed to drop the Wind Crest all the way down the mountain!"

Now Oziron was getting pissed. "SHUT… UP DAMNIT!" He cast something more powerful this time.

Okay, now Genis had to get a bit serious as he sensed Atlas starting to form around him, currents of wind steadily turning blue. He pulled his staff in the air, wings extending, before pulling it down hard, wings gave one hefty flap that sent Genis into the air, narrowly avoiding the wind attack. He twirled in the air once before gripping tightly onto the pole, wings flared out like an umbrella to slow his decent as he cast.

"Let's try this, GRAVE!" Genis shouted.

Almost immediately it went into effect, one sharp pillar of earth sprouting below Oziron. The panda yelped and clung to the rock as he was sent up and screamed when several other pillars could have skewered him just then. They only managed to shave off a bit of his fur. As it sunk back into the crystals, Genis landed and put his hands on his hips while his tail twitched.

"Man, if you're scared of that, then you should just give up." He said with a hint of victory in his tone. "It's almost an insult to fight you."

Oziron got up shakily. "That's what I want you to think!" He stared past Genis and at a certain something that made him smirk. "See if you can dodge this, kid, AIR BLADE!"

A pulse of wind mana was blown towards the sorcerer who did not look impressed. He simply sidestepped the attack, but got confused when he saw that Oziron was still grinning like a maniac. He heard a cracking sound and gasped, turning his head around. The crystal he was standing on was shattering thanks to the attack and sent both him and the crystal falling. Of course, Genis could easily fly back to safety with his staff, but he was more worried about the Deku below that were going to be crushed by the crystal.

"LOOK OUT!" He shouted.

An amazing thing happened just then. All the remaining Deku summoned the same attack that Mooch had used on them to slow the crystal shard down till it was just drifting lightly while the animals were shooed out of the way. Once that was done, they cancelled their attacks and it landed with a 'thunk.' Genis sensed that familiar pulse of mana again and dodged to the side, just in time, but then sensed more coming and flew to the side once more. He gasped when he saw all five lights flying on a mission to transform him. He couldn't dodge all them for long; he needed a plan. For now, he flew around the tree, allowing them to chase him.

He began thinking out loud. It was habit of his that helped get his thoughts sorted out easier. "They're lights, so I would need a Darkness spell to get rid of them… but I don't have any of those. I only have elemental spells, thus my title: The Elemental Sorcerer, but I do have one-" An idea struck him. "Wait, I could try that, but it'll be risky. Otherwise I'll have to go to the source and risk getting my own set of ears and whiskers…"

Genis flew around for a few minutes, strategizing as to how he was going to go about his plan, while picking up speed to lose the lights. Eventually, he went in to land on top of the tree before Oziron, who was waving his staff after the boy. The panda got confused though when he started to cast, but ignored it and ordered the lights to finish him off. Just as they were about to connect, holy light surrounded Genis and stalled the lights.

"I call upon the power of the holy blade… PRISM SWORD!" The sorcerer shouted and a spell panel appeared below his feet.

Four spiritual swords plunged out of no where into the four corners of the panel, Oziron yelping and barely dodged one. Genis tensed as he prepared for the final one that was going to strike him directly, but he wasn't too worried since it was his own spell. It materialized directly above his head and struck. Genis didn't feel pain, but it was still a horrid experience, like being disassembled then reassembling once more. It also drained him of a lot of mana unexpectedly. He felt nauseous and almost lost his lunch as he collapsed to one knee, light fading away. At least his plan worked.

Oziron panted and stood up once more before grinning maliciously. "I see you drained yourself by taking your attack straight on! Well, now you're just easy pickings!" He laughed and raised his staff in the boy's direction.

Genis panted a few times before he smirked. "What are you talking about..? It didn't faze me at all. I just get a little tired after an attack like that." He struggled to get to his feet, clearly exhausted. "I can still kick your furry rear in no time!"

"I'll call your bluff!" With that, Oziron shot the final pulse of light to finally finish Genis off.

"_This is my chance!"_ Genis screamed in his mind as he held his staff in both hands, much like a baseball player.

Once the light of close enough, he swung his staff, the light connecting with the jewel on the head, and sent it streaming back at its master. Oziron screamed when he realized there was no way to avoid it, till he was engulfed by it. The light shined blindingly, causing Genis to shade his eyes and the animals peeking out of the hatch to look away. It all finally died down and Genis stared at the result, gasping for breath, then he cried out in surprise. Oziron was still the same; a panda!

"But… how could- Wait a minute." Genis stared at the panda who was on all fours and crawling around, sniffing. "Huh… so now he's a real panda."

The sorcerer glanced back at his now animal friends, who were squawking, squeaking, chattering and making a huge fuss, along with Mooch who had brought Colette and Sheena with him.

"You did it Shrimpy! Good on ya'!" Mooch cheered.

Genis didn't have the energy to argue about his nickname. "Yeah… I hope I never have to do that again…" He approached the panda, which was a bit skittish, and took off its cape and crown.

Apparently there was a small pocket in the cape and low and behold, there was the Wind Crest. He plucked it out, but it didn't react.

"… Must not be mine." Genis panted and saw Oziron's staff strewn to the side. "If that's where all those pulses were coming from, then I should destroy the source."

Genis pocketed the crest and picked up the staff in both hands. He raised it over his head and smashed it into the crystal he was standing on, shattering the staff completely. Light exploded from the remains and surrounded everything in a mile radius. Eventually it died down and everyone could see again.

"Genis!" The said boy smiled upon hearing that voice and turned around to see all his friends; Lloyd, Presea, Zelos, Sheena, Colette and finally Raine, all back to normal. His cat tail was also gone.

They all surrounded him, giving pats on the back, congratulating or thanking him or hugging him in Colette's case. It felt good to be praised, but also a little embarrassing. Now he knew how Reikoku had felt. They heard shrieks of joy coming from below and they assumed it was all the Deku cheering.

"They sure sound happy!" Lloyd laughed, pausing from giving Genis a playful noogie. "It's great to finally talk normally!"

"Or talk period in our cases. How did you manage to beat him, kid?" Zelos asked for curiosity's sake, referring to Oziron, whom Mooch was checking on.

Genis stared at his staff with a wry grin. "I remembered Mooch saying that the crystal heads of the staffs were actually made of the Crystals from the Tree of Life. Then I thought back to the tunnel where the light had basically bounced off the crystals, so I thought it would have the same effect."

"A very wise plan." Presea approved causing Genis to flush.

"Hey, what's going on with your pocket?" Sheena asked as she noticed Genis' pocket glowing.

The sorcerer plucked the Wind Crest out of his pocket and almost immediately it went into effect. Pale green light erupted from the crest and surrounded them and their weapons, which faded from their old silver to a new beryl green shade.

"I guess it was mine after all." Genis laughed, feeling a lot better now that his power had been restored somewhat.

"It must've not have reacted before because we were animals at the time." Raine said.

"I'm just happy to be me again; though being a puppy was actually kind of fun!" Colette beamed.

"HOLY CRAP!" They all looked up to see Mooch confronting Oziron, whom had turned back into a Deku. "Plucky, is that you?! You were Oziron?!"

"Yes…" The other replied sorrowfully, bowing his head in shame. "I don't know what came over me. The moment I found that crest in a big temple with green flamed torches, I went power crazy and started attacking everyone! I especially went nuts when the one I stole it from came and stole it back from me. I think it was around the time I changed that guy." He pointed at Lloyd but then his eyes widened. "Wait a minute…" He stared back at the shattered bits of his staff. "Oh… crap…"

"What's the matter, Plucky?" Mooch asked.

Plucky laughed nervously. "Let's just say the REAL Oziron is going to be paying us a visit very soon…"

"What do you mean?" Presea asked.

Her question was answered when the entire tip of the mountain exploded sending rubble every where and a huge gust of wind flew past them all. Coming through the hole was a large harpy that was teal in color with blue markings all over its body. The woman's hair was dark red with black streaks, like her eyes, while the rest of her bird-like features were flecked with yellow and white feathers. Her glare was mainly focused on Plucky.

"You dare transform me into an insolent fur-baring squirrel?!" Oziron screeched. Lloyd then remembered seeing a small furry animal running away when he found the Wind Crest; it must've been the Guardian. "Prepare to die!"

Plucky screamed and hid behind Mooch who was waving his arms in panic. The rest of the heroes drew their weapons.

"Let's stop this thing before it destroys the Tree of Life!" Lloyd said and charged forward, Material Blades ready while the rest of the front lines followed behind him.

Genis went to cast, but another wave of nausea hit him like an anvil and he dropped on all fours. Raine noticed.

"Genis, I want you to sit this one out." She ordered.

"But sis, I'll be-"

"You've done all you could, it's our turn now." She cut him off with her hard tone.

Genis grumbled, but none-the-less sat down by Mooch and Plucky. Satisfied, Raine began working her magic once more. Lloyd had been airlifted by Colette, who threw him at Oziron and delivered several slices before his landed. Sheena threw several of her cards but the harpy managed to dodge each of them and tackle her in return, sending her flying back. Zelos was following up, jumping with his sword straight in the air so that his mana swirled around him and gave damage.

"LIGHT SPEAR CANNON!" He shouted and went to finish off the combo by thrusting his sword into the harpy's shoulder. To his surprise though, she managed to escape the attack and catch his shoulders to lift him in the air. "Aw crap! Not again!" He remembered the time Valcov had caught him like this.

Oziron flapped her wings at a speed that even rivaled a hummingbird's; creating a large Cyclone and she tossed her captive in to flail helplessly in the storm.

"Who's next?" She hissed then saw Presea running straight towards her and shot some feathers from her wings to skewer the girl.

Presea did something unexpected though, just before the feathers could reach her; she jumped and slammed her ax, with all her might into a branch instead of crystal, to prevent it from shattering, sending rocks and earth into the air.

"ETERNAL DEVASTATION!" She shouted as the attack had an effect on the harpy, seeing as it was wind focused.

Oziron became furious and created a huge gust of air, with a beat of her wings that sent Presea flying towards the dying Cyclone that had claimed Zelos. The said redhead was too dizzy to even stand up at the moment.

"POISON IVY!" Raine shouted, calling upon the powers of her Earth Crest.

Vines and the like shot out of the ground and ensnared the flying harpy, squeezing till it could barely breathe. This left it prone to all their assaults. Lloyd began hacking away, forming all sorts of fancy combos, until he was kicked back by the Oziron's clawed feet. Zelos had even finally got up and all the frontlines were going in to strike when they were blown back by more wind mana. The harpy had summoned its mana to encircle it till the bonds snapped and she was free. She decided to go after Raine first, since the half elf had allowed the brunette to cause her pain. Raine held up her staff to block the offense when he heard a familiar cry.

"STALAGMITE!" An enormous pillar of earth sprouted from the crystal floors, just before Raine, and lost some feathers in the process.

"Genis, I told you to sit out!" Raine snapped seeing her brother leaning on his staff for balance.

"I can't just let some old buzzard maim my sister, now can I?" Genis replied in his 'bratty little brother' tone.

Oziron turned on Genis then but before she could reach him, Colette tackled her to the side. Sheena began her summoning stance, twirling her card in front of her while forming a hand seal. The harpy took quick notice and tried to get to the girl before she could finish, but Zelos got in her way with yet another wretched earth spell.

"Ready for this? GRAVE!" Zelos commanded raising his sword about his head.

Like with Genis' Grave attack, it started with one pillar shooting up from the ground. Oziron was launched into the air and tried to flail her arms in a desperate attempt to get away, only to have the last pillars of the attack strike straight through them, rendering them useless as she screeched helplessly. The harpy was completely outnumbered and stood no chance against the odds. Soon after Oziron all but gave up, Sheena finished her summon.

"I call upon the Servant of Mother Earth, I summon thee! Come, GNOME!" Sheena ordered.

Gnome materialized in midair as he usually does shouting the whole way as he fell on a collision course with Oziron… Let's just say the harpy met a pitiful end.

"And that's all she wrote!" Sheena chirped, waving her cards in front of her face like a fan.

"I don't know why, but I think Oziron was a lot easier to beat than Fahrenheit." Lloyd said in a rather disappointed tone.

"But Fahrenheit is related to Celsius so it's understandable." Raine pointed out.

Mooch and Plucky finally emerged from hiding. "Is… Is it over yet..? No more surprise attacks..?"

"None that I know of or am expecting…" Zelos muttered lazily with a yawn. He nearly bit his tongue in surprise when the entire mountain shook and he looked up. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!"

There was no fooling their eyes though. In an unexpected turn of events, Valcov and his servant dragons had decided to crash the party; the largest dragon sticking its head in through the enlarged hole Oziron had made.

"I've finally found you!" Valcov snarled. "I thought I would find you here; now I can get my revenge for you all stealing my meal!"

"Give me a break! Now we have to fight him again?!" Sheena shouted in annoyance as she went to summon Celsius this time.

"Don't bother Sheena, I got this one!" They all looked back in awe at the half elf sorcerer who was standing once again, unsupported this time.

There was visible green mana swirling around Genis' entire body, blowing his loose bangs like it was wind. His normally bubbly blue eyes were flaring emerald green like the Wind Crest clenched in his left hand while his right clenched the beryl green staff. Everyone could feel the mana forcing against their bodies as he lifted his staff, spinning it in hand like a pro. He then moved his arm in a circular motion so that it was drawing out a large spell circle following the pattern the staff was making. Once it was complete, it glowed a blinding green that caused everyone to shade their eyes, except for the caster and Valcov who simply tilted his head in curiosity. But you know the old saying: Curiosity killed the cat… or maybe the dragon in this case.

To complete the spell, Genis struck the head of his staff dead-center in the spell circle and shouted the incantation's name, unleashing the Wind Crest's power. "TORNADO TWISTER!"

With that, the spell circle erupted a giant tornado that engulfed the entire dragon, causing damage whenever the mana infused in the storm sliced at its hard scales. The pure force of the attack sent everyone almost flying, but managed to hang on, and the Tree of Life managed to stay in one piece. Valcov roared as he was sent spinning into the distance, back to his nest, in an almost comical fashion, while his servant dragons flew after him screeching. As soon as Valcov was a good distance away, the spell circle faded away causing the storm to finally subside. Everyone looked up just in time to see Genis fall back on to his rear panting heavily and his staff clatter in front of him. The boy looked normal once more, though wide-eyed at what he had just done.

"Holy Goddess alive… where the hell did he get that kind of power?" Zelos gaped, too stunned to even get up.

Lloyd, Raine and Presea approached Genis, who was staring into space and gasping for breath every few seconds. "Genis, are you alright?" Lloyd asked.

The sorcerer slowly turned to look at them, shaking uncontrollably. "I… I thought… it was sup-posed to… react when you were in danger…" He stuttered. Apparently this had all been a huge shock to him.

"I have no clue whatsoever…" Raine sighed as she kneeled behind him and hugged him. He continued to vibrate in her embrace.

"It may have been the calm before the storm." Presea said catching their attention. "He finally let it all out in one blast. Holding him back from the battle may have triggered it."

"I'm unsure of the connection," Lloyd muttered. "But I think it was pretty amazing. I never knew you had it in you, kid." He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair with his hand.

That got a small grin out of Genis and he slowly stopped shaking. "Just… don't ask me to do it again any time soon…"

They heard wheezing nearby and saw Mooch dragging Plucky towards them. "I'm not going to even jinx it. This is the most excitement we've had in years… NEVER COME BACK!" Mooch shouted and finally collapsed.

They all laughed a little at this, knowing he was really grateful on the inside. "We'll come to visit, don't worry." Lloyd said jokingly.

The rest came to their senses and walked over to the six. "Genis, are you okay?" Colette asked worriedly.

"He'll be fine." Raine said, helping her brother to his feet. "He's just exhausted."

"Here I was going to try out my Ice Crest's power and Genis beats me to it." Sheena said teasingly.

"Sorry, I couldn't stop it." Genis said apologetically.

"Don't apologize, you have no reason to." She replied.

"I think we should leave soon before those Deku parade on us. Plus, I think we need a break from all this." Zelos sighed and stared up to the sky. "The comet isn't going anywhere soon since Kratos is stalling it on Derris Kharlan. I'm sure we can take just ONE day off because we have the directions to another crest on that map piece."

"And how do you suggest we get down?" Raine asked.

Zelos blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sheena turned on him. "Last time, we had three flyers; you, Colette and Genis. But now that Genis is out of commission temporarily, we have no way to get down at the same time. That is, unless you and Colette gained super strength and never tiring stamina from your crests because I know I sure didn't."

"… Oh."

"I guess that means we'll have to stay here for a while." Lloyd said.

Mooch jumped up waving his arms. "No, no, no! We'll help you down!"

"It better not be like the last time you 'helped' us down." Sheena scowled as Mooch rubbed the back of his head. "No deal."

The Deku got a sly expression. "Well, if you were to stay, I guess I could introduce you to each and every one of my friends. There's Stan, Kyle, Eric, Tweek, Kenny, Wendy, Marsh, Clyde, Lilly, Korin, Bill, oh and I can't forget Bob and more! I also have at least a HUNDRED more rock stories-"

"Okay, we'll do it your way…"

* * *

**Aisu:** Ah... more references to TV shows. Bad me for watching it though. XD; You should recognize the names of those Deku. 

Valcov showing up was rather random, I know, but I needed to introduce Genis' new attack. I had no where else I could fit it in. I have Chapter 20 finished... I have to start 21. But I'm being distracted by my new drawing Tablet... It's so cool... And school's hating me... Plus I haven't played ToS in a while because I'm trying to take a break from it. XD;

**Next Chapter:** Zelos suggests a day of relaxation; so where better to go than Altamira? They meet up with Regal and he has some interesting news for them all. (I told you Regal was in this story!)

Ooooh! This is my favorite crest quest so far coming up! You know the drill; next update next Friday. Till then, please leave a review!


	17. Relaxation

_Disclaimer: I Don't Own Tales of Symphonia or Any of Its Characters. I Do, However, Own Any Unrecognizable Characters_

**Aisu: **Sorry about the late update guys! My sister went out and took her laptop with her. Anyways, on the flip side, you would be getting a new chapter one day earlier this week. XD; Thank you **Miori942, dorkie, Evanlicious** and** Spiritua Masquerade** for reviewing last chapter along with the anonymous people who simply read the story! I'll answer the reviews here today.

_Miori942: _Aw, sorry you had a rough week too. I'm glad you like the animal choices! I thought about Raine's for a while, then it hit me like, 'EURIKA! AN OWL!'. XD; You got the names right, all from South Park, but the ones you mentioned were made up by me. Meep! Don't worry, Regal isn't going to be a main character in this story. He's only appearing this chapter, a tiny bit of the next, and... another chapter. I can't remember. XD; Thanks for reviewing!

_dorkie:_ Don't worry, I won't hurt you. XD; I appreciate the fact that you reviewed though! It makes me feel so happy to know that people really like this story. The action scenes and humour never easily. I'm not a fan of OC's either, so that's why they only last for so long. I try to make them interesting though. They all have a purpose though, no matter how briefly they appear. I'm glad you like mine though! Mooch and Tsume are two of my favourites too. XD; Thanks for reviewing and here's the next chapter!

_Evanlicious:_ I'm glad you're like this. But I notice you're reviewing this from Chapter 2 so there's a lot more improvement as you read on... unless you've already read the other chapters and are basing that all on those chapters too. Ah well, I'll just answer the best I can. For the characters, Presea was scarred permanently so there's a chance she won't recover, thus the still blank personality. Lloyd and Genis are still kids at heart, so they would catch up the way they know best, since they hadn't seen eachother for two years. They all mature as the story, especially where I am right now in it. I'll keep the description in mind for when I proof read and add those kinds of things in. I'm glad you like this story though! Thanks for reviewing!

_Spiritua Masquerade:_ Thank you! I'm really happy you're enjoying this! Well, I've been working on this story since around March or so... so it's been a while and I plan to finish this. XD; I'm sure you'll be able to make a great story too! Thanks for reviewing!

**Aisu:** Okay, this is an EXTREMELY long chapter, almost 7000 words to be exact. The first half is pretty important for future chapters while the second half (after they get off the train from the Lezereno Company) is more filler-ish. It was more for fun because everyone has been so tense and hard at work.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17: Relaxation 

When everything was said and done, they climbed down the tree through the hatch and ended up at the bottom… among thousands of Deku. Let's just say that the entire party wished that another surprise guest would appear to battle them so they wouldn't have to be introduced to all the small people. It felt like hours until Mooch did something useful and told his friends about their journey to save the world. They all began panicking then, running every which way and making it seem like there were more than they started with. Now the entire party wished that they had just been introduced to the Deku.

"Don't worry; we're not used to this kind of excitement so this result is to be expected!" Mooch said with his trademark maniacal laughter.

"Geez, you can't even tell who's who or even keep track of their numbers." Zelos squinted through the mass of them. "I don't think I can even take one step without squishing at least one of them."

"How do you do it?" Lloyd asked the only half-sane Deku there at the moment in complete awe.

Mooch finally stopped laughing. "Well, it quite easy when you've been around them for so long! Bob has a bad acne problem, Missy has a bad case of diarrhea, Tweek has a bad addiction to cocoa beans, Eric's too fat and Wendy likes boys obsessively. Well, then of course there's my babe Tsume here. I can tell her from any other Deku in a heartbeat!" He draped an arm around the female Deku's shoulders.

Tsume in response turned her glare on him. "Get your grubby paws off of me, you ass-kisser!"

Sheena snorted a bit, trying to hold in her chuckles. "Is it because she's the loudest and most foul-mouthed one here?"

"Yeah, that, and because we're engaged!" Mooch cheered.

"And I'm not happy one bit about it!" Tsume snarled.

There was a long silence.

"So, when's the lucky day?" Raine asked, mildly amused.

The Deku rubbed his chin, thinking hard despite the racket his friends were making. "I believe it's… the last day of your Harmonia Festival, is it not, Tsume?"

"I believe it is." She grunted in reply, for once speaking without insults.

"Did you actually say yes?" Presea asked with rare curiosity.

Tsume thought for a moment. "I believe my exact words were: 'Okay, I'll marry you, when Symphonia is impaled by a freaking huge meteorite and you're nothing but a pile of shit roasting in the sun'!"

There was another long silence that followed, save for the screaming in the background. "But it was still a yes, nonetheless!" Mooch assured, oblivious to his fiancée's harsh language.

"It sounds so romantic!" Colette beamed. Everyone else thought otherwise.

"We'll be so happy together for the rest of our little lives! I can already imagine the children…" Mooch sighed dreamily.

Genis thought about it in his mind and shuddered. Goddess knows how many, all screaming profanities, running around like idiots, and on a never ending sugar-high. It was enough to make him go nuts, that's for sure. And he didn't even want to THINK about Tsume through pregnancy.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I believe we should continue on with our journey." Raine informed. "Though, I'm not sure how we'll be able to continue our journey after the next crest."

Zelos rubbed his forehead with his palm. "This is why I think we should take a break from all of this…"

"Oh? And what are you suggesting perchance?" Sheena asked.

The redhead ran the destinations through his mind before coming up with the perfect one. "I suggest Altamira! It's the choice place to relax and get lots of hunnies. Plus, I think we need to give Mister El Presidente a visit."

"Regal! Yeah, we should go and see him!" Lloyd said excitedly, almost hopping with anticipation. "Maybe he could join up with us again like old times!"

"The reason he did not join up with us was because he was busy with the Lezereno Company. I am unsure of the project, but it must have been very important." Presea explained.

"Whatever the reason, I still think we should go see the big guy." Sheena said cheerfully.

Colette clapped her hands together. "Oh yes! Let's go see Regal!"

The Sage siblings didn't have any arguments either. "I've been wondering what has been so important that he couldn't make it to the festival." Genis added.

"Then it's settled! To Altamira we go!" Zelos declared and turned to Mooch. "Beam us down, Captain!"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO GIVE MY FIANCEE ORDERS?!" Tsume shrieked in outrage. "I OUTTA KICK YOU SQUARE IN THE NUTS!!!"

After some confliction issues, Zelos and Tsume kissed and made up… or Zelos tried to flirt his way out and, unexpectedly, it was Mooch who kicked the redhead square in the privates for flirting with his soon to be wife. Like Mooch had said before: Tsume was more bark than bite and wouldn't even hurt a fly. Mooch, however, made up for all the talk. For such a small Deku, he really packed a punch and sent Zelos keeling over.

"You've done the very thing I've wanted to do ever since the day I met the guy." Sheena praised and clapped for added emphasis.

"Does no one see how much pain I'm in?!" Zelos squeaked.

Of course he was ignored. "Shall we go then?" Mooch asked.

"The sooner the better." Raine replied and they left through the exit, Zelos stumbling behind.

The party of seven along with Mooch and Tsume leading treaded through the many tunnels that protected the Deku's home, going a lot faster and easier this time since Tsume knew her way around a lot better than Mooch did. But what would the happy couple be without their little one-sided arguments? Of course there were five or six of those in between. Eventually they reached clear skies and puffy white clouds at the end of the tunnel, fresh air drifting into their lungs.

"Well, this is where we separate and say our goodbyes." Mooch half bowed. "Thanks for getting rid of all those huge buggers and Shrimpy there for curing Plucky. But seriously, don't come back anytime soon."

"Why do you call me something like that when you only come up to my knee?!" Genis shouted frustrated.

The Deku tipped his pointed hat. "It makes me feel taller." Both Deku whipped out their staffs and stood there.

"Um… Aren't you going to help us down?" Colette asked confused.

Both Deku whispered to each other for a moment, following a: "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" from Tsume.

"Hello? Are you listening?" Lloyd demanded.

Mooch walked towards them, waving his hands in a shooing motion. "Okay, we need to stand by the edge in order for this to work."

"What are you planning?" Presea asked suspiciously, but went nonetheless.

"Oh don't worry, it's nothing, this is all necessary to- NOW TSUME!" Before anyone could react, both Deku summoned hurricanes from their palms, which blew them out of the cave and into midair screaming. "FORMATION BETA!"

"DON'T YOU BITCH AT ME JACKASS!" Tsume hopped onto her staff and zoomed out of the cave, past the group, whose winged fighters were attempting to fly, and straight to the ground.

From there, she watched as Mooch got into position above then summoned her hurricane once again, simultaneously with Mooch. The heroes were caught in the midst of the two attacks and could do nothing but flail helplessly once again, drifting slowly downwards as Tsume lowered her intensity.

"At least this isn't as bad as when I was a parrot!!!" Lloyd shouted mostly to himself since the currents were too loud for anyone else to hear.

"THIS IS TOO MUCH!!! I THINK I'M GOING TO HURL!!!" Sheena wailed, trying to keep her lunch.

It felt like forever until they finally reached solid ground, dizzy beyond comparison. This was accompanied by headaches as Tsume began to yell at them again.

"You're all a bunch of pussies! We can only summon destructive storms, not those wimpy-assed SAFE ones!" She sighed in exasperation as no one bothered getting up from their various places on the grass. "Oh, and before I forget," She threw small rectangles of paper at each of them. "These are invitations to the Deku wedding. Whatever, so long assholes!" With that, she flew back up to Mooch and they disappeared back into the mountain.

No one got up for a while; each was either too exhausted or too dizzy to even move. The first to finally come to their senses was Colette who then began shaking everyone else awake. They all got up with much reluctance since they couldn't figure out how their feet worked.

"How many times have we been blown around by a storm this entire journey..?" Zelos groaned.

"Well, there's that time Sheena summoned Sylph at the Renegade Base, both times here… maybe more…" Raine listed with her temporarily scrambled mind.

"I also got tossed around a bit in Rom's storm back in Heimdall…" Genis added weakly.

"It feels like so much more though." Sheena said sourly.

There was little discussion after as they prepared the Rheairds for flight to Altamira. They all agreed with Zelos now when he said they needed a vacation. It wasn't long till they were all taking off into the skies once more. Thankfully, they weren't too far from Altamira; the trip took an hour flight at most heading northeast till they found the lone island breaking away from the continent south of it. They descended fairly easily on the outskirts of the beach resort, packed up and then entered the city. It was obvious they were in the right place because one of the women in a skimpy bunny costume greeted them.

"Welcome to Altamira, the number one vacation spot in all of Symphonia!" She giggled then noticed something behind them all. "Oh! Klonoa is back!"

There was a bit of confusion so they matched the woman's gaze. In record breaking time, Presea had managed to slip on her Klonoa costume without any of them noticing. She stood there blankly as usual, clad in her blue outfit with bright yellow gloves and boots. They were surprised it still even fit her. Of course it was a lot cuter when she was smaller, but it still was pretty cute on her now.

"Wahoo…" She cheered dryly.

"Wow, Presea, when did you change into that?" Genis asked in awe.

"Loople-doo?" She replied with a tilted head.

"I think she really likes being Klonoa." Colette said cheerfully and bent down to her level. "Don't you, Presea?"

"Wahoo!" The pink haired girl chirped.

"We've got to make sure that we keep a low profile or else the kids will be swarming- Spoke to soon…" Raine muttered as children caught sight of Presea and ran over cheering. "Unfortunately, we have to leave them behind so we can go see Regal."

The lady in the bunny outfit waved her hands. "Mr. Bryant is actually really busy right now! I'm not his personal associate, but I DO know he requested for no visitors." She got confused when Presea handed her a card from the pocket of her outfit. "Huh, what's this? V.I.P.? You're associated with the president?"

"Wahoo wahoo!" The Klonoa impersonator replied.

"In translation, my dear bunny," Zelos began. "He was one of the Symphonian heroes who accompanied us on our Journey of Regeneration and helped save the world."

She blinked in realization. "Wait a minute, YOU'RE the Symphonian heroes?" They nodded. "Well why didn't you say so? If you're that close with him then I'm sure he wouldn't mind a small interruption. Besides, I don't think he's taken a single break since he got this assignment."

The kids had been picking up random words in the meantime. "Wow, Klonoa saved the world?! That's so cool!"

"I wish I was like Klonoa!"

"You know it's just some person in a costume…"

"Stop being so mean, Timmy!"

"Yay Klonoa!"

"Loople-doo!" Presea chirped and the kids got all excited.

"It doesn't look like 'Klonoa's' going anywhere." Lloyd laughed.

Genis decided now was the best time to swoop in. "I-I'll stay with her! You can go on ahead and w-we'll be over here!" He cursed the fact that he stuttered.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Genis?" Raine asked, remembering his little shake up in the mountains.

"I'll be fine, sis, don't worry." He groaned, slightly embarrassed. "I-Is that alright with you, Pre-" He caught himself, noticing the kids listening intently. "Klonoa..?"

"Wahoo!" She said with a small smile clapping her hands together.

The sorcerer's heart leapt, since that was probably as close to 'yes' as he would probably get. Then again, he wished she had said so in English and ended up groaning on the inside. Zelos on the other end was scanning the entire area, checking out any and everyone who had double X-chromosomes. Finally, his Z-Radar landed on a fine young lady in a bikini heading towards the beach.

"… I think I'll catch up with you guys later. I have some 'business' to take care of down on the beach." Not waiting for any approval, he did just that.

"I think we should all meet up down at the beach after we drag Regal away from his work. I think I still have my swimsuit with me; we should go have fun and swim there!" Lloyd suggested with excitement clear in his tone.

"Yeah! It'll be so much fun!" Colette agreed. "I have my swimsuit with me."

Everyone else stated that they had theirs as well. "Okay, we'll meet you all down at the beach." Genis said and waved them off.

"Loople-doo!" Presea said, waving, and the kids waved because they always mimic Klonoa.

"Okay, now if I remember correctly, the train should be…"

**- X – **

The president sighed as he put down his pen and flexed his wrist. He had been pulling all-nighters to get his work completed so that he could visit his friends for the Harmonia Festival. But recently, the work has been piling up more and more and his current project had been building up a huge ruckus that dared not to let up. The only reason he was continuing to argue about it was because of his promise. He sighed once again and plucked his pen to continue his paperwork.

There was a knock on his door, which caused his head to perk up. As much as he loved the interruption, he couldn't help but scowl since he had asked for none under any circumstances. "Come in."

George popped his head in by the door. "I apologize for the interruption Master Bryant, despite your request, but something urgent has come up."

Regal rubbed his forehead, etched with stress. "What could possibly be more urgent than this..?"

"The fact that you never showed your face in Iselia for the Harmonia Festival."

His head shot up. He could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Lloyd?"

The said boy pushed open the door, a large smirk on his face. "In the flesh!" The others stepped in behind him and George closed the door with a small grin.

"W-What are you all doing here?" Regal stuttered in disbelief.

"Now, is that any way to greet someone after not seeing them for two years?" Sheena scolded the president.

Regal recomposed himself and stood up from his desk. "It's not that I'm displeased to see you all again; it is just unexpected that you would all come in on such short notice."

"But then it wouldn't be a surprise!" Colette pointed out cheerfully.

"You sure haven't changed." Raine grinned.

It was true, Regal hadn't changed a lot. He had donned his President's outfit and tied his hair back. He looked cleaned up and professional compared to his old convict self; appropriate to run a major company. But the only thing was that he had visible bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, there were dark scars where the handcuffs had been before and he occasionally twisted his wrist to get the feeling back in his hand.

"Maybe not I, but all of you have changed dramatically. Is no one else here though?" Regal asked.

"We said we would all meet at the beach once we dragged you away from your work." Sheena explained.

"But I am very busy-" He was cut off by Lloyd.

"Okay, okay, just WHAT the hell are you doing that is SO important that you couldn't take a break to have fun with us? For the Harmonia Festival and even now?" He demanded.

Regal gave Lloyd a serious look that caused the boy to wince a little. "If you must know, I am trying to help you with your quest, Lloyd."

"My quest? How did you know about the Elemental Crests?" Lloyd gasped.

Regal raised an eyebrow. "Elemental Crests? What by chance, are those?"

"Lloyd, he must've meant our quest to find the exspheres." Colette said.

The swordsman stared back at her then back at Regal who had a shimmer of amusement in his expression. "Um, whoops."

"Now you have me curious. What is this 'other' quest you are going on?" He asked.

They all grabbed chairs from various parts of the room and sat before Regal's desk, going over the basic plot of what was going to happen. "… and if we don't collect all the Elemental Crests, we have no chance of ever being able to stop the Sithom Comet. Symphonia will cease to exist in the universe." Raine explained as Regal listened intently.

Lloyd stepped in. "I was just wondering, wouldn't you want to come along with us? It would be like old times, all eight of us saving the world together."

Regal folded his hands underneath his chin while strands of his hair hid his eyes. "I apologize, but I don't believe I could…"

Sheena seemed surprised by his reply. "W-Why not?"

"Though I am deeply enraptured by the fact that you want me to return to your team…" He closed his eyes, thinking of how to say what he had to in the most befitting way possible. "Not only am I bound by my work here in the Lezereno Company, but I promised Alicia that I would never kill again. Neither with my hands or my feet; I never want to take a life again." He reopened his eyes piercing them with his hard stare. "So I must decline your offer."

They all sat there in dead silence, absorbing the information. "If… you feel that strongly about it, I have no right to convince you otherwise." Lloyd said acceptingly.

The president smiled. "Thank you for understanding."

"Mr. Regal, didn't you say that you were trying to help Lloyd on his quest to find the exspheres?" Colette asked.

Regal's smile immediately turned to a frown. "Yes, there is still that matter to be explained." He shifted in his seat to get more comfortable. "As it so happens, Rodyle's Remote Island Human Ranch was not the only there is. It has recently been discovered that there is, in fact, another Human Ranch that has never been detected. The people in Raizen Country found it on one of their explorations. These people though…" His grin returned. "Care to explain why these people are so familiar to me, Sheena?"

There was a moment of surprise as everyone turned to the ninja, who cried out. "Way to exploit my village, Regal!"

Raine rummaged through her robes while Regal shrugged his shoulders. "I only aim to please. I would assume you haven't told anyone else."

"Of course I wouldn't! We're a HIDDEN village after all!" She shot back indignantly.

"It's just as I thought." Now all attention was on Raine who was staring at her map. "I thought I had heard the name Raizen Country before. It's the location of our sixth crest."

"Why didn't you ever tell us you knew what Raizen Country was, Sheena?" Lloyd asked.

Sheena sighed in exasperation. "It's as I told Regal, we're a HIDDEN village. I was just trying to preserve our new secret location."

"You couldn't even tell us, your friends?" Colette asked, sounding a little upset.

Sheena waved her hands erratically, her face flushed in embarrassment. "No, no! It's not that I don't trust you all! It's just that we've sworn not to reveal our location."

"Well, as it stands," Raine began, "we're spending the day here then we'll be heading for Raizen Country tomorrow. We might as well go see what is going on with the ranch as well… But now I have another question. Why was the ranch never detected before?"

"That is where this conversation gets strange." Regal stated, cutting in. "Normally we can detect ranches by their magitechnological trails, which shows they are active and running, but this one didn't have one. However, the ones who found the ranch clearly stated that even though the entire ranch was abandoned, everything was still running. The lights were on, electricity was flowing and the machines were moving."

This caught their attentions. "But wait; how could that be possible if you didn't detect the trail?!" Raine demanded.

"I have not the slightest idea." Regal sighed. "All of the men I've sent in the past have wound up dead trying to find out mysteriously."

"I have a feeling it was the Guardian." Sheena said.

"Why would you think that?" Lloyd asked.

"I'll give you the full story later since it would take too long to explain now and I would prefer if everyone was here to listen. But there are only three crests left and electricity is among the elements that we have to yet to find. Just call it a hunch, but I believe the Guardian is the one who is powering that ranch."

"It is a possibility, but I believe we should investigate it for ourselves." Raine said. "I have a feeling we'll be going to Mizuho to research this subject with your people."

"Thank you for helping me with this." Regal said and a silence drifted by. "If there is nothing more to be said, then I shall get back to my work."

"Oh no you don't!" Lloyd shouted and grabbed the man by his wrist before he could pick up his pen. "You're coming with us!"

"Lloyd, I'm a very busy man. I cannot afford to take a break." Regal said sternly.

Colette popped up beside him. "But we've already got permission from George!" She attempted to lift him from his seat, which wasn't a problem since she HAD picked the man up with a single arm before. "We're going to the beach. It'll be so much fun!"

By now, everyone was all but forcing him out of his room and he had no choice in the matter. Period. George grinned and waved as they pushed Regal to the elevator and the gates closed behind them.

"Now we can do this the hard way, or you can go along and avoid the embarrassment of being pushed." Sheena said with a grin.

"If I must…" Regal sighed and placed his hand on his forehead.

"There you go, now was that so hard?" Raine teased.

As soon as the gates opened to signify that the elevator had reached the desired floor, they all walked out orderly. Regal waved to his colleagues that he was going out for a while before boarding the Elemental Railway, leaving the company behind. The ride was smooth; fresh sea air blowing past them, as the train skimmed through the water on the submerged tracks. Raine's hydrophobia began to set in so they told Regal of their adventures finding the crests to take her mind off of it. He became deeply entranced by the three jewel-like crests the three women revealed.

"… And you do not possess one, Lloyd?" Regal asked finally.

The swordsman casually placed his hands behind his head. "Not yet, and neither does Presea, but I hope we get ours soon. I want to know what kind of cool attack I could get!"

"The elements left are Thunder, Shadow, and Light." Raine counted off on her slender fingers.

"But wait a minute," Sheena cut off. "Lloyd said that only he and Presea were left to get crests… and there are three left."

"But how could that work if we only have two people left?" Colette asked. "Who would get the last crest?"

"Would it be Regal's?" Sheena thought out loud.

Lloyd looked up at the man. "I don't know… to tell you the truth, I don't get how this whole Elemental Crest business works. I mean, why does it only react to certain people in our group? Would that mean that no one except us would ever be able to use these?"

"Lloyd…" The boy looked up at the Professor's shaking form. Her expression was glowing with excitement. "That's a FACINATING subject! You make me proud, my pupil!"

Lloyd drew back in fright, knowing for sure that Raine's fears of water had been forgotten. "No! Don't go Ruin-Mode while you're on the train, please!"

She suddenly scowled and smacked him over the head. "Don't give it such a weird name!"

"Hey, hey! No rough-housing on the train!" The conductor shouted back at them.

The train came to a stop next to a platform where everyone stepped off or boarded to leave for the Amusement Park. The party of five took the elevator briefly and continued along the path towards the sandy beaches. Most stared in awe as the President made his noble appearance among them; Regal couldn't help but flush at all the attention, no matter how many times this happened to him.

An employee in a skimpy bunny outfit waved them over by the hotel and they went to check out what she wanted. "Mister President! I have your swimwear all ready for you!"

Regal raised an eyebrow and stared down at his friends. "Were you really so determined to drag me away from my work that you made preparations for me?" He asked in an amused tone.

"We knew you would put up a fight but we were pretty confident that we could manage to drag you out, kicking and screaming." Sheena replied.

The Lezerano President sighed but took the swimsuit from the employee anyways, muttering a faint thank you. They all proceeded to the beach, which was bustling with people, all having loads of fun. They could even make out Zelos, strutting his stuff in his purple Speedo and sandals. He had always assured them that the Speedo was the prime choice among ladies. Ignoring the redhead, they finally found the change rooms where they could get dressed in their swim attires.

Lloyd stepped out first in his blue swim trunks with white stripes along the sides, plus the usual bright orange snorkel and mask and long flippers that seemed almost impossible to walk in. Colette walked out after him in a clean white one-piece with a brown towel tied to one side, decorated with white outlines of flowers, and cute sandals.

"Lloyd… could you help me with my hair, please?" She asked him with her hair ties in one hand. "I can't do it myself because my hair is so long. I wanted to do some pretty French braids."

"Um… sure…" Lloyd agreed but he didn't know the first thing when it came to French braiding.

Colette turned her back to him so that he could get to work. He stared at her long golden locks for what felt like hours. Finally, he reached out but paused; he couldn't bare the embarrassment if he messed up.

"Are you trying to make a move on my Little Angel, Bud?" Lloyd yelped as Zelos rested his chin on the boy's shoulder. "You got her in the perfect position."

"I'm not making a move on her! She… wanted me to French braid her hair…" He twiddled his thumbs. "I… don't know how…"

Zelos raised an eyebrow as Colette turned to face them. "You don't know how to make French braids, Lloyd?" She asked innocently. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Lloyd's face flushed and he looked away. Zelos simply laughed out loud. "He wants to be 'the man' 'round all his ladies. Here, let the Great Zelos assist you with those braids."

Colette turned around and Zelos went straight to work, moving his fingers like a pro who had done this millions of times, leaving Lloyd in awe. At this time, the rest had finally changed. Raine stepped out in her navy blue two-piece, which came with a matching towel around her waist, and a book. Sheena grunted as she walked out of the change room, wearing a sexy magenta one-piece that was held together with strings. Finally, Regal opened the curtains revealing his green and black wet suit. It had been a lot easier to get on since his wrists were no longer bound by metal.

"Damn… I forgot how hard it was to put this thing on…" Sheena sighed, fiddling with the strings a bit.

Zelos gave a sharp whistle of approval, taking his eyes away from the second braid, but still working at the same pace. "Hell-LOH fantastic!"

"Shove it, Zelos!" Sheena snapped.

"… I was talking about Regal."

There was an awkward silence that followed, Regal looking vaguely amused.

The redhead snorted, using the last tie to bind Colette's braid in place. "And that's how you do it! All done!"

Colette beamed and spun around on her heel. "Wow, thank you Mr. Zelos! I could never get them pretty like this!"

"Not at all, my Little Angel! I've just got the Zelos touch." He grinned, patting his fist against his chest before slipping his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Hey guys!" Genis called and walked up to them with Presea, who was no longer dressed up as Klonoa.

Genis wore his orange and white swim trunks, blue sandals, and woven straw hat around his neck. Presea wore a light blue two-piece with white lining, blue sandals and left her hair in their ponytails instead of putting them in the water caps.

"Good day to both of you." Regal greeted.

"Hello, Regal." Presea smiled.

"The day is wasting away! Let's go and have fun already!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"You know where I'll be!" Zelos chirped and went off to philander some more.

"Me as well…" Raine muttered as she walked along the beach to find a shady spot to read.

"Let's go swim then!" Colette suggested.

"Yeah!" Lloyd shouted in agreement and zoomed off towards the water followed by Genis who tossed his hat aside.

Colette ran after, untying her towel and tossed where Genis' hat was. That left Regal, Sheena and Presea.

"I think I'll go sunbathe. Presea, could you help me with my sunscreen?" Sheena asked.

"Of course." The pink-haired girl agreed.

"I believe I'll make sure the kids have some adult supervision." Regal grinned at the kids who were having fun in the water.

**- X -**

The three had begun a game of water volleyball with a stray beach ball that was floating around unused. They waded out waist deep then Lloyd bounced the ball on his fingertips towards Colette. She returned the ball towards Genis by bouncing it on her fingertips as well. Genis went to return the ball with a bump but lost his footing and fell back into the water, ball thumping on his head.

Lloyd began laughing his head off. "Nice one, Genis!"

Colette went over to see if he was all right. "Are you okay?"

Genis grumbled, getting up with the ball in hand. "P.E. is the only subject I barely pass in." He noticed a shadow swimming beneath the surface and got an idea. "Take this!" He spiked the ball with his fist.

"Oh come on, Genis, that was lame!" Lloyd laughed further and went to return the ball with no mercy but felt something clamp his ankle and yelped as he was submerged.

"Lloyd!" Colette cried but Genis grinned at her.

"Just watch."

Suddenly, Lloyd emerged from the water flailing as Regal held him over his head. The President then threw him a distance into the water, the boy spinning helplessly in midair till he hit the water.

"Nice one, Regal!" Genis cheered as the man mock bowed and Lloyd slashed up for air.

"No fair!" Lloyd smashed his fists against the water, sending liquid everywhere.

"Oh, so you want to have a splash fight now." Regal grinned evilly causing Lloyd to scream and dive under the water.

Genis laughed but was then soaked. "What the-" He glanced to his side before another wave of water hit him. "Colette!"

The girl smiled innocently and continued to splash the half elf till he began to slash her back. She giggled and dove out to where the other two were, Genis swimming after her to get revenge.

**- X - **

Sheena lay belly down on a towel, the sun's rays steadily toning her back to a soft gold. Presea sat beside her finishing off putting sunscreen on her arms so that she could begin tanning as well, for lack of anything else of interest. She didn't want to splash around in the water with the rest of them, she didn't have a book to read like the Professor, and she DEFINITLEY didn't want to check out women. So that left her with either tanning, or sitting there like a lump.

A shadow appeared overhead and Sheena didn't bother glancing up; she already knew who it was. "What do you want, Zelos..?"

"If you'd look up, you'd know." Sheena sighed and tilted her head upwards.

There, in all his Speedo glory, was Zelos, but with a volleyball in hand. "Come on, just a little game of boys versus girls? I'll even let both of you team up against me!"

"There's got to be a catch, I know it…" She muttered and rested her chin against her folded arms.

"But of course! If you don't, I'll continue to ogle you like that!"

"Not buying it…"

"I will play against you, Zelos." They were both surprised when Presea volunteered, getting up from the towel she was sitting on.

Zelos' expression immediately transformed to one of pure joy. "Alrighty then, my Little Rosebud, I'll head to the opposite side of that net there and you can stay on the other end!"

He went to jog towards the said net, but paused when he heard his Voluptuous hunny's melodic voice. "Fine, fine, if Presea's willing to trust you then I guess I'll play too…" She sighed and got up from her towel.

Zelos began bouncing around clapping his hands like an excited child, exaggerating his display of happiness. "Hurray! My Voluptuous Hunny wants to play too!"

"Calm down you philanderer, I'm only playing for a few minutes." Sheena replied, taking her ready position a bit in front of Presea. The girl was shorter, only coming up to Sheena's shoulder, so she probably would have a harder time spiking the ball.

Zelos raised an inquisitive eyebrow, studying his shot carefully. Confirming his plans, he lightly tossed the ball in the air and smashed it with his fist instantly getting into a ready position. The ball streamed towards Presea, who had analyzed the situation and believed a bump would be the best choice. She cupped her small fists and squatted slightly, returning the ball over the net easily. Zelos knew the girl would try that and was ready under the ball and pushed it in the opposite direction with his fingertips. Sheena took position, taking a quick glance back at Presea in a silent agreement, before volleying the ball backwards. Presea expected this and volleyed the ball even higher, almost having it clear the net. Sheena ran forward, along with Zelos, and they both jumped for it at the same time. The ninja, however, didn't spike it but bump it over the redhead with her fist, Zelos' momentum preventing him from stopping to get it. The ball plunked into the sand with a soft thud, initiating the point.

"Point one for us!" Sheena declared, Presea smiling behind her.

"Sheeeeeena…" Zelos whined. "That was very tricky of you. I hope you're as tricky in bed-" He didn't get to finish because the woman clocked him.

Zelos whimpered, but grabbed the ball to begin another play. Again he analyzed his shot, but THIS time he chose a different strategy. He licked his thumb, testing the damp side to tell where the wind was blowing, stamped his feet in the sand to make sure he had good footing, patted the ball a few times, took off his glasses briefly to get a good look around them. The list of petty requirements continued.

"Just serve the damn ball!" Sheena shouted getting a little annoyed.

"I need to make sure I don't make this shot as easy as the first!" Zelos called back. "Okay, I'm ready!" He went into his pose to serve, throwing the ball into the air, but caught it. "Oh but you know…"

"ARGH, JUST SERVE THE DAMN BALL!" Sheena roared and stomped forward.

"PSYCHE!" He spiked the ball so fast into the far corner of the court that neither girl had any time to react. Presea had been too far to reach it in time anyways. "Oh BURN!"

"You lying cheating sneak!" The ninja snarled as her partner went to retrieve the ball.

"One all." Zelos chirped simply.

Many rounds went by until the score came to nineteen to nineteen, Presea's serve. The battle was fierce, both teams deserving a medal for their efforts. The pink-haired girl spiked the ball sharply, the ball streaming through the air, and almost hitting the lip of the net. Zelos cringed noticeably. Presea's serves were extremely difficult to return, chances being slim to none. As expected, he couldn't get there in time to return, but the ball never hit the ground. In a surprising turn of events, Lloyd skidded in, having the ball ricochet off his flipper into the air. Genis had joined in too, volleying the ball higher into the air. Even Regal had jumped in, taking the finishing spike, which hit the other end unanimously.

"INTERFERANCE!" Sheena shouted in outrage. "I'd expect this from you two, but I never though you, REGAL of all people, would sink so low!"

"Even I have to defy my own rules sometimes." Regal shrugged his shoulders.

"We're not about to let Zelos be defeated and have men be humiliated once again!" Lloyd shouted back.

"Zelos isn't that trust worthy to defend us, as you could probably tell." Genis added.

"Hey, who kept this game even most of the way?!" Zelos snapped back indignantly.

"Twenty to nineteen, Lloyd's serve." Regal stated.

"I believe that point did not count." Presea frowned with a hint of miff in her tone.

"Nah, forget it! Let the 'boys' have their stupid point! If they think they need to cheat to win, then they're sorely mistaken!" Sheena said with a mischievous grin. "They're just acting like a bunch of spoiled GIRLS!"

"Oh BURN!" Zelos laughed.

"Whose side are you on?!" Lloyd snapped before kicking off his flippers and serving.

"I'll help!" Colette said as she ran in and went to volley but tripped.

The ball managed to bounce off her head though and clear the net to the boy's side. They all scrambled for the ball at the same time and there was much conflict among them. While Lloyd and Genis bickered at each other, both Regal and Zelos went to return the ball but it didn't connect properly and flew out of bounds. Zelos went to get it but froze. The ball had hit Raine, who had been minding her own business reading her book, and she dropped it, eyes blazing towards the redhead.

She gripped the ball and readied her arm to throw. "ZELOS!" With that, she spiked the ball, causing it to literally travel through the air at the speed of sound.

The ball smashed into Zelos' face, knocking him out completely, then careened towards the other side of the beach. A young male had been about to slice a watermelon with his sword, raising it over his head, when he felt a force and heard a strange noise. There was a ball skin stuck on it hissing until it was completely out of air. With a humph, Raine sat back down and began to read once more.

"Geez, Professor, way to ruin our fun…" Lloyd muttered, eyeing Zelos' unconscious form.

In the end, the score was a tie so they could never find out which gender of the party was the better one. They did know, however, the Professor was clearly dominant over both sides.

* * *

**Aisu:** That beach scene was lots of fun to write! A change from the kind of action I'm used to doing. I'm on Chapter 22 now, slow but steady. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapters. This next crest quest is going to be a big one. Four chapters to be exact. 

_Next Chapter:_ Sheena takes everyone to Mizuho where they are filled in on events and status. When they're about finished, a guest appears. Just why exactly is this girl so deadset on them allowing her to go with them that she's even willing to make a deal? And was it a fatal mistake to go to the ranch?

You know the drill; next update next Friday! Till then, please leave a review!


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